Climbing Mount Everest
by LiveLaughLove728
Summary: Love is an uphill battle, as Percy and Annabeth know all too well. It's like climbing a mountain, and when you're demigods, the mountain is higher than normal. A story about life together and the twists, turns, ups, and downs that come with it, but hey, "til death do us part," right?
1. Setting A Future in Motion

**Hey guys! Here's the story I promised!**

**This is basically about life together for Percy and Annabeth and will include marriage, family, all that good stuff, but it will not be like some cliche stories out there, I promise! So sit back, relax, and enjoy!**

**Please R&R! Ideas are welcomed.**

**Disclaimer: PJO and HoO are owned by Rick Riordan.**

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I opened the small velvet box for what was probably the millionth time that day. I wasn't really sure what the big deal was, why this was so intimidating. I mean, it wasn't like I didn't want this and it wasn't like I had no idea what I was doing. Well, actually, I didn't, but I never really did, so that wasn't anything new; but for having no clue what I was doing, I had to admit, I was pretty darn prepared.

Really, compared to everything that had gone on in my crazy, dangerous, and never easy life, it was pretty amazing how something so completely normal and non-life threatening, something that typical, everyday, _mortal_ people do, was so much scarier than facing down monsters. So much so, it was almost funny… _almost._

Actually, to say that it wasn't life threatening might be a tad bit untrue, considering I did have to get Athena's approval, which is a lengthy, particularly scary, story that we need not get into, but, long story short, I eventually managed to get her permission, and Mr. Chase gave his to me pretty easily, so here I am now.

Despite the fact that everyone more or less supported and approved of my plan, it didn't really make things much easier, except for the fact that I no longer had to worry about being blasted to bits by a certain goddess, at least, not for that reason, which, to be completely honest, was really the only reason I cared about right then.

To put it mildly, I was pretty scared, though I wasn't sure about what exactly. The fear monopolized my thoughts day and night, and had for many weeks. It could be said that these fears were irrational and stupid, especially in the case of someone like me; Percy Jackson: son of Poseidon, two-time hero of Olympus, slayer of Titans and Giants, etcetera, etcetera, but let me be the first to say, anyone who thinks that is dead wrong, because I had faced hordes of monsters, Giants, Titans, and all kinds of various types of evil, sometimes all at once, and didn't even blink an eye. Of course that just goes to show you where my heart, my soul, and my entire being lie; the thing I was so absolutely petrified, not of having, but of_ losing_.

Love.

It's the most complicated four letter word on the face of the planet. It's also the simplest. Most of the time, it's an uphill battle; that "hill," of course, being Mount Everest, and the battle being like no seemingly impossible battle I've ever had the displeasure to face before (and I'd had more than my fair share of battles, thank you very much). Love is the hardest thing in the world to come by, but the easiest to hold on to once you've got it, and with it, you can do amazing things. I should know. I'd been to Tartarus and back, and the only reason I was still in one piece was because of love; my love for one girl.

Annabeth Chase.

Hopefully Annabeth Jackson soon. That was, assuming all went as planned, and I didn't chicken out at the last minute, which always seemed to happen in my nightmares; either that or Annabeth said no and/or turned into some hideous monster from Greek Mythology because demigod dreams are weird, but we won't get into that.

Despite all of this, nothing could have stopped me from following through with my plan. Because I knew, beyond a doubt, that no matter how intimidating it seemed or how worried I was at the very likely possibility of nothing going as planned, I loved Annabeth with everything in me, and I wanted her to be mine forever. I was pretty close to positive that she felt the same way. No matter how nervous I was about proposing to her, whenever I really thought about it, about her, all my fear melted away. And when the logical part of my brain finally made an appearance, I would realize that honestly, after everything we'd been through, the chances of Annabeth actually saying no were slim to none. Why else would she have stayed with me this long?

And really, there wasn't any point in holding out any longer. We were old enough and stable enough to get married. Annabeth had recently gotten her dream job at an architectural firm in downtown Manhattan and I was making my way through college, taking some courses in Marine Science and Oceanography, which were, not surprisingly, easier than all other subjects I'd studied; while keeping a steady job at Camp Half Blood as an assistant camp director/sword instructor. The pay wasn't great, but it was enough, and I had no doubt that, as always, we could get by just fine, as long as we were together. We had the support, we had the stability, we had the funds, and we had the love. What else was really needed?

Tomorrow would be my twenty-first birthday. More importantly, it was Annabeth and my fifth anniversary together. It was also the night that I planned to propose to her and set our future in motion, and nothing was going to stand in our way.

I took one last look at the ring, a single diamond on a simple braided band that I had reinforced with Celestial Bronze, so it was monster-proof. It was simple, beautiful, and strong; totally Annabeth. I studied it for a second longer and couldn't help the smile that spread across my face when I thought about our imminent future together. Many, _many _things had tried to stand in our way over the years and we had gotten past them every time. And seriously, if Annabeth and I could make it through Tartarus alive, the first of anyone ever to do so… Marriage? Yeah, yeah I was fairly certain we could handle that too.

I gently closed the box, still smiling and slipped it back into my bedside table, where it would safely stay until the next night, when Annabeth and I would officially become forever.

It would be difficult, things usually were with us, but we would have each other, and as long as we were together, nothing else really mattered. Our path together had been a rocky one, and probably would continue to be, but our love had never failed, not once, and that wasn't about to change. We would keep going on our path to each other, keep fighting the uphill battle. Together, no matter what stood in our way, we would continue to climb Mt. Everest.

And it was only a matter of time until we reached to top.

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**What'd you think? Let me know! I love reviews.**

**So I haven't decided how I feel about this chapter yet. Some parts I love and others, I don't like so much. Hopefully you liked it. I promise future chapters will be longer and better! Thanks for reading!**

**-LiveLaughLove728**


	2. Twenty Seconds of Courage

**Hey Guys! Here's chapter two! THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the favorites, follows, and reviews!**

**I am going to try to upload at least once a week, so be on the lookout for that.**

_**Sorry, this is going to be kind of a long AN, but it's important, so please read it all!**_

_**I know there were a few reviews last chapter about the mood of the story being too serious and out of character for Percy, Just a reminder, they are adults in this novel, so the maturity levels of the characters will have increased, however, not to worry, there will still be plenty of Percy's personality, because I love it just as much as all of you do. These first couple chapters are more serious though, so they have to be more cut and dry. Chapter 3 will include more of the Percy we all know and love!**_

_**Another thing, I plan on getting into the marriage and family aspect for Percy and Annabeth later on in the story, which means I will need names for children that they will eventually have. I am very bad when it comes to coming up with names and stuff, so ideas are welcomed, please! If you could, try to make them relate-able to PJO/HoO in some way. I'd prefer not to have random names that have no connection whatsoever to anything, however, if it's a really good name, I'll accept. :) And also, if anyone has any ideas for future chapters, I'd love to hear them too!**_

**I know chapter one was a little on the shorter side, but I promise that they will start to be longer, like this one, and sometimes even longer than that. In my stories, most of my chapters are usually between 1,500 and 2,000 words, give or take. Just so you know what to expect.**

**Anyway, that's all for announcements for this chapter. To the story! Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: PJO and HoO are owned by Rick Riordan, not me... obviously. ****The "motto" (first line) of this chapter was inspired from the movie _We Bought a Zoo_, so I can't take credit for that either!  
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Twenty seconds of courage.

I'd heard that's all you need, twenty seconds of insane, crazy, embarrassing courage, and something great would happen. The problem, of course, was building up that courage…

Annabeth and I sat on the beach, not too far from Camp Half-Blood, but far enough outside the borders, that we actually stood a chance at some privacy. So far it was working.

The sun was setting. It was August eighteenth: my birthday, our anniversary, and hopefully, soon to be even more. We'd eaten dinner here, picnic style, plain and simple, and so far, everything seemed to be going according to plan-more or less. It was quiet, peaceful, a beautiful night. I was with Annabeth, on the beach, and we were alone. This was pretty much my idea of Elysium-my own little piece of Heaven, right then and there.

There was still the matter of proposing, which I hadn't gotten around to doing yet. I was waiting for the perfect moment, the right opportunity to pop the question.

I pulled Annabeth close and leaned back. We laid there next to each other, watching the sunset turn the sky a million shades of pink, orange, and yellow.

It sounds cliché, I know, but we'd been through Tartarus. We'd spent days and days down there, believing that that was where we would die, that we wouldn't live to see the light of day again. Trust me, after surviving hell, you learn to treasure things you barely even noticed before, every single moment becomes cherished. It wasn't like that was the only time we weren't supposed to survive and did. It wasn't the first, and it wasn't the last, but it was definitely the worst, most impossible, and most desperate. I had been in countless "impossible" situations before, so had Annabeth (usually with me), but that was the only time when things had really seemed truly hopeless. The fact that we got out alive was nothing short of a miracle, and every day after was another day we may not have otherwise been here for. We were going to make the most of every second we were given, and every sunset counted.

"Happy birthday, Percy," Annabeth said softly, leaning against my chest.

"Happy anniversary," I replied back. Annabeth smiled and nodded against me.

"That too." We were quiet again for a few seconds before she spoke again, "Can you believe it's been five years?"

I smirked, "No," I admitted.

"We were sixteen, Percy," Annabeth continued, turning her body and propping her head up with her arm to meet my eyes better, "The Titan War had just ended."

I couldn't help but chuckle a little there. "Yeah. We thought all our problems were over and done with."

Annabeth smiled and shook her head. "Guess we were kind of wrong about that, huh?"

"You think?" Annabeth laughed quietly and resumed her original position with her head on my chest.

We talked for a little while longer and ended up walking along the beach, waves washing over our feet, hand in hand. Annabeth was talking about a book, or architecture; maybe a book _about_ architecture? I wasn't really listening.

Right there, walking the beach, holding hands with Annabeth, the ocean filling me with strength, I had no desire to procrastinate any longer. It was just the two of us, the moonlight turning her hair silver, fireflies lighting all around us. This was here and now, and this was right. Any fear, anxiety, or hesitation that had been there earlier was gone now. I loved this girl with everything in me and I was through waiting. My ADHD brain just wouldn't allow it.

Twenty seconds of courage…

"Annabeth," I began, interrupting whatever it was she was talking about. She stopped mid-sentence and looked up at me expectantly, and a little annoyed at my interruption, "Do you remember our conversation in the stables on the Argo II, and in the Cocytus? About a future for us?"

"Yeah?" she replied slowly, still looking at me expectantly, "What about it?"

We stopped walking and I turned to face Annabeth, holding both her hands in mine and meeting her eyes. I took a deep breath. I wasn't really sure where I was going with this, but I still had fifteen seconds left, and it was now or never. "Annabeth, the ten years I have known you have been some of both the best and worst times of my life. They've been crazy, dangerous, and just downright scary, but they've also been amazing because you were there through it all, and because of that-because of _you_-I've made it through. I love you, Annabeth, and I want that future with you that we've talked about. I want to wake up every morning to my wise girl and know she's mine forever." Annabeth's eyes were filling with tears (no small feat). She had to know what was coming, or at least that _something_ was going on. She was too smart not to, and it wasn't like I poured my heart out to her much, at least not like this. I continued, on a roll now, "I know I can be obnoxious most of the time, I know I'm not, and will never be, anywhere close to as smart as you are, and I know we probably spend more time arguing than is healthy, but we've defeated Titans and Giants, we survived _Tartarus_ together. We built something permanent _together_, and none of the other stuff matters. It hasn't been easy, and I doubt it will ever be, but we'll get through it, just like we always do, so…" I pulled the ring box out of my pocket and slid down on one knee, opening the box. "Annabeth Chase, will you marry me?"

I stared up at her, a little impressed with myself. I hadn't known I'd had that in me. Annabeth had her hands over her mouth, but she was smiling hugely. She had tears in her eyes that were threatening to spill over. I had rendered her speechless (another _very _hard thing to do), but she nodded, still smiling and eventually managed a "Yes!"

I couldn't help the huge smile that spread across my face as I stood up and hugged her. When we pulled apart, Annabeth held out her left hand and I slid the ring onto it-a perfect fit.

I kissed her, and allowed all of the bottled up fear, anticipation, anxiety, and the other million or so mixed up emotions to finally leave my body. Annabeth had said yes. We were going to get married. I had never doubted what her answer would be, but it was still absolutely amazing to have heard it. The moment, the kiss, Annabeth; the entire night could be described in none other than three words. It. Was. _Perfect._

And the best part: despite being demigods and despite nothing ever going like it's supposed to, tonight, for once, thank the gods, _did._ It was flawless, and I couldn't have been happier as I held my new fiancée in my arms.

We separated. "My mom's going to kill you, you know that right?" Annabeth asked me, suddenly looking concerned.

I smiled at her. "What? You thought I would just propose to you without getting your parents' permission first? I may be a seaweed brain, but I'm not _that_ stupid. Not to mention, that would be just plain _wrong._"

She stared at me, a hint of a smile playing around the edges of her mouth. "You mean, my mom actually approves of this? How did you manage _that_?"

I laughed once. "It was a dangerous, scary process, but yeah. She wants you to be happy, and even though it "goes against her better judgment and is a very unwise decision," I said, making finger quotes in the air, "she sees that I make you happy, so she's okay with it."

"Wow," Annabeth answered, looking rather impressed.

"And your dad was pretty easy. He gave me permission in like five minutes. Athena took all day."

Annabeth smacked me playfully, but she was smiling, "And your parents?"

"My mom cried… a lot. And Paul just smiled. They both apparently knew it was coming."

Annabeth's smile changed into a more playful expression. "Well you _did_ keep me waiting long enough, Seaweed Brain."

I didn't know what to say, but my face must have been pretty funny, because Annabeth laughed. "I'm kidding, Percy," she said and kissed me. "C'mon," she said when we pulled away, "Since we're right here, we should go tell Chiron. That way, I can be there too." I smiled and kissed her one more time, before grabbing her hand, which I liked much better with a ring on it, and leading her back to my car.

And other than the hellhound we ran into on the way to Annabeth's apartment, the night actually ended up going right for once.

It should've gone down in the record books.

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**You like? Let me know! Review! (I read them all, I promise) Until next chapter! :D**


	3. Coming Home

**Hey Guys! Here's chapter 3! I had a lot of technical difficulties with this chapter, so hopefully it came out ok. If not, I'm sorry.**

**Thanks for all the name ideas so far! I still need them, so if you have any that you think will work, feel free to let me know. Please!**

**Anyway, to the story! Enjoy! R&R**

**Disclaimer: PJO and HoO are owned by Rick Riordan.**

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I looked around at the faces of my friends all around me, laughing and joking together. Every year since the end of the Giant War, it had become tradition for the Romans and the Greeks to get together to celebrate the end of the rivalry between the two camps. The location of the celebration alternated between the two, year to year, and this year- four years since the war- it had taken place at Camp Half-Blood.

After that day's festivities had ended, the bunch of us, mostly counselors and former campers, made our way down to the fireworks beach, which was where we were now. Everyone was there: Piper, Jason, Leo, Frank, Hazel, Rachael, Grover, Juniper, Clarisse, Chris, the Stolls, Katie, Will, Reyna, a few others from both camps, and, of course, Annabeth. Thalia had even showed up. The only ones missing were Tyson, who was rarely allowed to leave Poseidon's realm; and Nico, who still wasn't really one for social interaction with the living.

We sat around a campfire, like we used to do as campers, well, the Greek campers anyway, talking and laughing. Annabeth was next to me. It was really nice to just be able to be with everyone, just having fun together; no upcoming wars or primordial evils trying to take over the world (that I knew of, at least). Other than these celebrations, which only happened once a year in mid to late August, I didn't really get to see these guys anymore. Most of them, I hadn't seen since the celebration the year before, and I really had missed them. I worked at Camp Half-Blood as an assistant director/sword instructor and still lived in Manhattan, as did Annabeth, but most of our friends had chosen to leave and start their lives elsewhere, so reunions had become rare.

I briefly met Annabeth's eyes. I didn't need words to know what she was asking. It had been almost a week since we had gotten engaged, and almost no one knew. Aside from my and Annabeth's parents, both mortal and godly, Chiron was the only other person in on it. It wasn't that we were trying to keep it a secret or anything. The night it had happened, we'd taken a ride to Camp Half-Blood to tell everyone, but the only one we'd been able to find was Chiron, who had congratulated us and wished us the best, all the while smiling knowingly, as if to say _I knew this would happen all along. _Everyone else had been away from camp, which, for most of whom, wasn't surprising, but Grover and Rachael (who lived at camp) had even been gone. But hey, timing had never been my strong point.

We were planning on telling everyone tonight. We could have done it earlier, but pretty much everyone who knew us well enough to really care was here right now. Honestly, I was surprised that no one had figured it out yet. I mean, with so many ADHD demigods, wandering eyes were bound to land on Annabeth's left hand at some point, weren't they? So far, that hadn't seemed to happen, though Grover had been giving me strange looks all day. He probably knew something was up, being as he could read my emotions, which had been pretty much all over the place up until last week, but so far, he hadn't said anything.

Annabeth squeezed my hand and looked at me again, like, "_Let's just get it over with."_

Fortunately or unfortunately, it wasn't that hard to get everybody's attention because, for some reason, almost everyone was watching us intently. Apparently, our silent exchanges drew an audience nowadays.

"What?" I asked, eyeing my friends warily.

Leo, being Leo, took advantage of the first opportunity he got. "Is there something you lovebirds would like to share?" he asked, grinning that devilish grin of his. He had us and he knew it.

"Why would we have something to share?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Maybe because you two are over there being all secretive with the looks back and forth, and missed the fact that it's your turn to elaborate on anything cool or important that's happened in your life over the last year," answered Rachael innocently.

Really? Was that what we had been doing? Okay, so maybe I had gotten a little distracted, being on the beach, at Camp Half-Blood, next to Annabeth, surrounded by my friends… Yeah. Maybe I'd gotten a little caught up in it all and hadn't been paying attention…

"Yeah, c'mon, spill it," demanded Conner.

"And it'd better be good, after Jason's failed attempt at a good story," Leo added, still grinning.

"Hey!" Jason protested, but Leo kept going.

"C'mon, tell us. What's new and exciting?"

Annabeth squeezed my hand again. I knew she wanted me to make the announcement, but I was going to play this out a little first. "Well," I began, "Let's see. My mom finally published that book she's been working on all year. I'm graduating next year. I'm coming here three times a week to teach the sword class…" I snuck a glance at Annabeth, holding back a smile. "I proposed to Annabeth last week…" I gave everyone a second to register what I'd just said and was met with the collective gasp of just about everyone, and a lot of overlapping and jumbled answers.

"WHAT?! " demanded Piper and Thalia.

"About time!" Rachael added.

"So Jackson finally got up the nerve to pop the question!" Travis joined in, while Katie smacked his arm.

"Congratulations!" Juniper squealed.

Hazel started to say something, but Katie beat her to it, "Wait! Everyone, hold on! We don't even know if Annabeth said yes!"

"Yeah," said Clarisse, looking to Annabeth, "So, are you and Prissy getting married, or what?"

"Yes," Annabeth answered, laughing, and everyone started clapping for us. After that, there were congratulations and a few suggestive comments- from the Stolls and Leo, but I was in much too good a mood to care. Our little gathering, if you can call it that, lasted for about another forty-five minutes, before it was getting pretty late, and most of us had to leave. Our circle around the campfire pretty much disintegrated as the demigods all got up, some to exchange goodbyes, most to rush to Annabeth and me to congratulate us personally.

I got hugs and handshakes from just about everyone.

"Took you long enough," Jason joked, after Piper had hugged me quickly before rushing over to Annabeth and twisting her hand in some pretty uncomfortable-looking directions to examine the ring, while the latter just raised her eyebrows at her.

"What are you talking about?" I asked incredulously, "We're only twenty-one."

Jason just chuckled and shook his head. "Dude, we expected you to propose at, like, eighteen." I just stared at him, not really sure what to say. "I'm kidding, man," Jason said, laughing. "Congrats."

"Thanks." Jason left and joined Piper, who, for someone who would really rather not be associated with children of Aphrodite, was acting pretty Daughter of Aphrodite-ish right then.

"Congratulations, Percy," Rachael said with a smile, though she also didn't look at all surprised, but in a different way than the others.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You knew, didn't you?"

Rachael smiled wider and shrugged. "Maybe. I may not be a demigod, but I have dreams too, you know, Oracle of Delphi and all." I chuckled as she hugged me, before also leaving to talk to Annabeth.

Frank, Hazel, and the rest of the Romans had to get going, if they were going to make it to the airport in time for their flight back to Camp Jupiter, but they all congratulated us and wished us well before leaving.

Pretty soon, it was just Rachael, Grover, Juniper, Thalia, Annabeth, and I, and all but Grover were deep in a conversation about something. The satyr walked over to me.

"Hey," he greeted me, sitting down on a log beside me. I was tending the dwindling flames and enjoying the ocean breeze blowing off the Long Island Sound.

"Hey, G-man," I replied. Even after all these years, that name had still stuck.

"So, I guess congratulations are in order," he said, staring into what was left of the flames.

I sighed inwardly, feeling bad. "I'm sorry, Grover. I wanted to tell you, I tried, but you've been gone for weeks, and I really only decided, like, a month ago and-"

"Percy, it's alright, really," Grover interrupted, turning to face me. He looked like he was trying not to laugh. "I figured it out anyway. Your emotions were pretty revealing."

My face felt hot. I hoped it wasn't obvious in the firelight, but Grover laughed. "As long as I'm invited," he added, looking at me hopefully.

"Invited?" I scoffed, "How could I not invite the best man?"

Grover mouthed the words "best man," like he was trying to process what I'd just said. His eyes widened. "Really, Percy?" he asked, a huge smile spreading across his face.

"Of course. Who else would it be?"

"Thank you, Perce! It means a lot."

"Besides," I added, "I was your best man last year. It's only ri-" Grover didn't allow me to finish because he tackled me in a bear-goat- hug, in the way only Grover could. I laughed, and so did he, but he was touched. I could tell.

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Thalia walked with us as we left, being as she had to go that way anyway to meet up with the Hunters nearby. At my car, we hugged her goodbye.

"You'd better take care of her, Kelp Head." Thalia warned, and I wasn't sure if she was joking or serious, probably both. "You hurt her, and you'll have to deal with me."

I smiled. "Don't worry, Pinecone Face. You won't have to worry about that. I'd have to deal with Annabeth first, and that alone is scary enough to keep me on my toes. Besides, I'd never hurt her." I smiled at Annabeth, who smiled back, before turning back to Thalia, who was looking back and forth between us with a rather disgusted look on her face.

"You two make me sick," she stated, dead serious.

I laughed. "Love you too, Thals." The daughter of Zeus smiled.

"Well, congrats, I guess," she said, and looked at Annabeth, "Though I'd still rather you join the Hunt…"

Annabeth's smile turned a little somber. "Sorry, Thals, but I made my choice. I'm happy with Percy."

I knew it was true, but hearing those words still warmed me from head to toe. Thalia sighed but smiled. "I know. It was worth a shot. I'm happy for you guys."

"Thanks, Thalia," Annabeth replied and hugged her. They pulled away, Thalia hugged me too.

"Well, I gotta go. It was good seeing you guys. IM me, okay?"

"Of course," Annabeth answered. "The maid of honor had to keep informed, doesn't she?"

Thalia looked shocked for a minute, before she smiled hugely. "Really?" she asked, elated.

Annabeth nodded, like _Duh! _Thalia's smile vanished just as suddenly as it'd appeared. "So I have to wear a dress?"

Annabeth laughed. "Hey. If I can do it, you can too."

Thalia sighed. "Fine. For you." She looked at the sky. "Now, I really have to go. Artemis is going to kill me."

"Okay. Be safe, Thals," Annabeth said, hugging her one more time.

"Always am," Thalia replied with a grin, before turning and running off into the night.

I turned to Annabeth, pulling her close. We'd been together all day, but I felt like I hadn't seen her once, not alone, at least. "Hey," I whispered.

"Hi," she replied.

"Long day, huh?"

Yeah. It was good to see everybody though."

"Yeah, it was," I said and kissed Annabeth sweetly. "Let's go home."

"Let's," Annabeth agreed. I held her door open as she climbed in, and gazed up at Thalia's pine tree, like I had every time I'd left Camp Half-Blood for the school year. We were grown up now, no longer campers. We had lives to live on our own now. I came here almost every day to teach younger campers the things I had learned all those years ago, when I was a camper and training myself. I loved this place. It was like home. But without my family, home was never quite the same.

Today had been great, getting to see everybody again after so long. We were all moving on and moving up, but we were still family. We'd been through more together than any other group of people on the planet. We loved each other and hated each other at the same time, but we always had each other's backs and we knew where our trust lied. Most importantly, we knew where home was, because where your home is, there your heart will be also.

And no matter how far apart our paths led us, we would always be together, because we would always have a home to come back to; a home we had fought hard, risked our lives, and, for some, even died for. It was bigger now. The family was too, but it was, always had been, and always would be, home.

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	4. Bring It On

**Hey guys! Here's chapter 4!**

**Huge thank you to everyone who had followed/favorited this story, and to those who reviewed. **

**If you guys don't mind, I have a small favor to ask. Please, PLEASE, review. If you already do, disregard this whole thing, and THANK YOU. I read every single one of them, I promise, and they really do make my day. :) Also, I'd like to know what you think about the chapter and the story overall. I really don't like asking, but it's just a small favor, so hopefully you don't mind. It's just nice to know that all the hard work I put into these chapters isn't for nothing, and that nothing needs to be changed or anything. Thanks a lot!**

**Anyway, enough of that. To the story!**

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the rights to PJO and HoO!**

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I turned the key and opened the door, letting myself in. I had just come back from work, if you could really call it that, at Camp Half-Blood and had stopped by Annabeth's apartment on my way home. I hadn't seen her in a few days and, though I'd never admit it, I missed her. We'd IMed multiple times that week, but it wasn't the same as seeing her in person. I'd recently stopped knocking and just resorted to unlocking her apartment door myself. After all, she'd given me a key, might as well use it. Annabeth didn't know I was coming, but it wasn't like this was the first time I'd showed up unannounced, and I knew she didn't mind.

It was a Friday night, around 5pm, but Annabeth wasn't really one for going out, not without me anyway, so I was fairly positive she would be home, especially since she'd been busy with this big project for work all week, and was probably working on it right then. Annabeth tended to be a bit of a work-a-holic when it came to things like that, all the more reason for me to stop by, and provide her with a reason to take a break. She needed one.

I found her in the living room, laptop open and a notebook before her. She was busy with something; though I was pretty sure it wasn't the blueprints for work, because her workspace was significantly lacking in architectural drawings, pencils, and other essentials for any good architect like herself.

Annabeth took no notice of my arrival, but she knew I was here, I was sure of that. Once you've been through Tartarus, it doesn't matter how quietly someone enters a room, you know they're there. She looked petty frustrated with whatever it was she was doing.

I walked around the back of the couch, placing my hands on her shoulders, which were pretty tense. "Hey," I greeted her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hi, Percy," Annabeth replied, not looking away from the screen before her.

"What 'cha doing?" I asked, leaning over her shoulder to look at the computer screen, which, being white font on black, was slightly less murderous on my dyslexic eyes, but I gave up quickly and resorted to rubbing Annabeth's shoulders, which relaxed slightly from my doing so.

Annabeth sighed. "Trying to plan this wedding," she answered, "I can see why people hate doing this so much."

I guess I could understand why planning a wedding could be stressful. Then again, most of my exposure to the world of weddings, which, admittedly, wasn't much, had been limited to that of the Aphrodite cabin at camp and with them, everything was always way bigger and more complicated than it needed to be. But there was also my mom and Paul's wedding, which had been small and simple, and hadn't really seemed like that much of a spectacle, though I'd had very little to do with any of it, and knew nothing about planning it.

Annabeth and I had discussed the wedding a little, but neither of us had put much thought into it so far, or so I'd thought. All I knew was that neither of us wanted anything big or extravagant, and that Annabeth thought it would be nice to have it be on a date that was important to our relationship, most likely in the summer sometime, though she didn't know exactly when yet. I thought it was a nice idea, though I didn't really care what day we did it or what specifically went into it. I just wanted to get married to Annabeth and have it go relatively smoothly with as little monstrous activity as possible. If that happened, the other details weren't very important.

"Why?" I asked, "What's the problem?"

"There's just so much to do, and I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Well," I said, walking around and sitting down next to her, "What have you got so far?"

Annabeth sighed and turned back a page in her notebook. "Not much," she admitted, scanning the page for a second before looking up at me. "You know how I wanted the date to mean something to us?"

"Yeah. Any ideas?"

She nodded. "I was thinking… July first."

I thought for a second, trying to figure out what was so special about July first. I was pretty sure it had something to do with the quest to Greece. It… also might have been someone's birthday-from camp maybe?-though the first option seemed more accurate.

Annabeth didn't elaborate. She just looked at me, obviously wanting me to figure this one out for myself.

July first… I tried to remember back to the quest. The whole thing seemed like one giant nightmare, and most of it was fuzzy, but…

July first. The Kalends of July… That was the day we'd rescued Nico, the day we'd defeated the twin giants, Epilates and Otis, and the day we'd gone to rescue Annabeth from her quest…

Oh.

_The day we'd fallen into Tartarus. _

That had to be it. That was the day I'd willingly fallen into hell with the girl I loved, so we wouldn't have to be apart ever again. That was the day I'd abandoned everyone else, so that Annabeth might have a chance. That was the day I'd let my fatal flaw get the best of me, the day I'd embraced the very-much-more-real-than-usual possibility that I could, and probably would, die.

That was the day Annabeth learned just how much I cared about her, because all of that was for her, and her alone. I'd had no idea what to expect, no idea what I was getting myself into, and no idea if I would live to see another day. All I'd known was that if Annabeth was falling into that pit, so was I. I hadn't given it a second thought then, and I didn't regret it now. It had been horrible down there, every second had, but we'd made it out. We were alive, we were happy, and we were together. It was worth it.

A small smile spread across my face as I met Annabeth's eyes. "I think that just might work," I told her quietly. Annabeth smiled too and nodded, writing something in her notebook.

"I thought so," she replied, "Good. That's settled."

"Good," I repeated, "Now that that's done-"

"We're not done," Annabeth interrupted, "Not even close."

"Why? We have a date. That's enough for today, isn't it?" I asked.

"No, Percy. There's _so_ much stuff that has to get done before July-"

"Annabeth, July is in _ten months_. I'm sure everything will be figured out long before then. We'll make it work. We always do," I said, "Olympus wasn't built in a day. It'll be fine."

Annabeth sighed, but continued typing on her laptop. "Percy, I know people who've had their weddings planned since they were eight. Ten months is really not a very long time to plan a wedding. If I don't get going on this soon, Aphrodite's going to get involved…"

Enough said. Gods weren't supposed to directly intervene in human, or demigod, affairs, but the goddess of love had her ways. She would figure out a way to bend the rules, and if that happened, I knew Annabeth and I could kiss our small, simple wedding goodbye.

I sighed and scooted closer to Annabeth. "Alright, you have a point there, but I'm helping."

She took her eyes away from her computer screen and turned to me with raised eyebrows. "You're darn right you're helping, Seaweed Brain. Did you really think I would go for planning our wedding on my own?"

I smiled. 'Course not." I kissed her gently, short and sweet. "That just wouldn't be right."

"I didn't think so," Annabeth replied and kissed me this time. When she pulled away, I took advantage of the mere second I had and snatched the notebook and computer away from her, closing both of them and placing them on the other side of me before she could steal them back.

"We start tomorrow," I added, grinning.

"Percy!" Annabeth scolded, and tried to reach around me to get them, but I was waiting for that. I grabbed her and pulled her back down, even closer to me.

"C'mon, Annabeth, I haven't seen you all week. We've got ten months, what's one night gonna hurt?"

"Percy-" Annabeth began to protest, but I just kissed her, effectively cutting off whatever it was she was going to say.

After a minute, she pulled away slightly. "Seaweed Brain," she murmured, her lips smiling against mine.

We stayed that way for another few minutes, and it was safe to say the wedding planning was forgotten, at least for the moment. We spent the rest of the night watching movies, curled up together on the couch.

It wasn't surprising that Annabeth was worried about everything that had to get done before the wedding. That was just how she was, always two steps ahead of everyone else. Everything would work out, just like it always did, and, no matter what happened, at the end of it all, we would be married, and that was all that would really matter in the end anyway.

Sure, there was a lot to do between now and July first, but it would be fine. Annabeth was probably right, as she usually was, about Aphrodite trying to get involved, and, as absolutely awful as that thought was, I wasn't really that worried. The gods owed us big-time. If the love goddess knew what was best for her, she would stay out of things for once.

Besides, how hard could it be? We'd saved the world twice within the course of a year; fought in more battles than anyone should ever have to; defeated Titans, and Giants, hordes of monsters, and primordial earth goddesses; survived hell; united two ancient rivals; and managed to stay alive against all odds.

Planning a wedding?

Bring it on.

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**What'd you think?**

**I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter, but I could totally see this happening, Annabeth stressing about everything that needs to be done, and go-with-the-flow Percy making her relax and forget everything for a while. Let me know what you thought!**

**Thanks for reading, and please review! :)**


	5. Exceptions To Every Rule

**Hey guys! Here's Chapter 5. I AM SO SORRY it took so long to upload. I had no idea what to do for this chapter, but I'm telling you now, I have an idea for the next chapter already, so that should be up soon, I promise!**

**Just so you know, I really hate this chapter. I was really hoping it would turn out better than it did, but it didn't. Hopefully you don't think it's as terrible as I think it is, but if you do, I totally understand. I apologize now, I'm Sorry!**

**As always, thanks for all the reviews, I love them! :) R&R**

**Happy Thanksgiving! :D**

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns PJO and HoO!**

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Okay, so maybe planning a wedding was a _bit_ harder than I'd expected (and thank the gods for Annabeth), but still, in comparison to, say, _Tartarus_, it was a cake walk.

Sure, it required a little more thought and effort than I'd originally planned, but it wasn't completely bad. However, there are exceptions to every rule.

Getting fitted for a tux would be a good example…

Personally, I would have been happy getting married in a pair of jeans, and I knew Annabeth probably would have too. On the other hand, it was a wedding, and if things were too casual, there was a really good possibility we would have to deal with Aphrodite, or at least her children and that was _definitely_ not something either of us wanted to do.

So, there we were, Jason, Frank, Grover, and I, heading to the high-end shop in Manhattan that not one of us wanted to be within a hundred-mile radius of, and would ever have thought of setting foot in the place, if it wasn't for the direct orders we were given, not just by Annabeth, but by Piper too (in whom it was really easy to see the daughter-of-Aphrodite side when it came to things like this). Hey, at least they trusted us enough not to mess everything up, right?

Two words: NEVER. AGAIN. There is absolutely nothing like being forced to stand straight and tall for half an hour while a middle-aged woman pokes and prods you with measuring tape and pins, all the while being unable to move, or sit, or _breathe_. Add ADHD to the mix, and it's all over.

It was pretty safe to say we were all miserable, all except Frank, who wasn't _happy_, but didn't really seem to have a problem with it either. Then again, he didn't have ADHD to deal with, and didn't have to worry about the tailor suddenly noticing that his feet were actually hooves, like Grover had to. That might have had something to do with it.

The things I do for Annabeth…

The only thing that made the situation slightly better was that she was probably just as miserable as I was, probably more, being as she had gone with Piper, Hazel, and my mom to pick out her dress and the dresses for the bridesmaids.

Thinking about that, I felt kind of bad at the same time. That was prone to take much longer and be much more stressful than picking out fancy suits. Tuxedoes were pretty straight forward; wedding dresses on the other hand… well, despite how out of the loop I was with this whole wedding business, I knew there were many more decisions that had to be made on her part than on mine, when it came to apparel. And pretty much everything else.

As much as I loved her, and as much as I knew she loved me, it was amazing how competitive we still were. Some things never changed, I guess. Most of the time, it was like we were still thirteen, laughing and joking, just having a good time, enjoying the company of the other. At the same time though, there was no doubt in my mind that I loved her so incredibly much, and I knew she felt the same way.

After a painstaking hour and a half, the four of us were finally done. We were out of there so fast; there might as well have been a monster on our tails. We stood on the sidewalk, in the middle of Manhattan, and looked at each other. It was early February, the coldest time of year. We looked at each other.

"So, what now?" Frank asked, zipping his jacket up all the way to his chin. Everyone looked at me.

I shrugged. "I don't know," I said and glanced at my watch. It was a remake of the first watch/shield from Tyson that had been lost in Alcatraz during the quest into the Labyrinth seven years ago. He had made a new one and given it to me for my seventeenth birthday after the quest to Greece. "Lunch?"

No one needed any convincing.

Half an hour later, we were sitting in a pizza place, waiting for our food.

"So, Frank, how's Camp Jupiter?" Jason asked.

The son of Mars looked up from his menu and at Jason. "Pretty good, I guess. It's amazing how calm everything's been since the war. I was only there for a few months before the quest and everything, but it still blows my mind." Jason nodded. "I've actually been thinking about stepping down from being Praetor and settling down in New Rome."

"Hazel's idea?" I asked.

Frank turned pink. "Yes and no. She likes the idea, but she didn't say anything until I asked her what she thought."

"Well, Frank," Jason replied casually, slapping his shoulder, "I guess we can expect a wedding announcement for the two of you soon enough."

The son of Mars turned even redder. "Well, she's only eighteen, we've got time…" Frank defended. Jason laughed. "And I could ask you the same thing."

Jason's laughter stopped abruptly. He stuttered an excuse and it was Frank's turn to laugh.

I snickered and shook my head, looking at Grover, who did the same. He and Juniper had been married for a little over a year, and during the time before their wedding, our conversations had sounded a lot like the one Jason and Frank were having right now.

We were adults now, moving on with our lives. Most of my time as a teenager had been spent believing I wouldn't live long. That's the thing with being a demigod; you're almost guaranteed to die young, like, really young, and usually in horrible, painful ways. Now though, we'd saved the world (again). Things were relatively peaceful, at least for now, and we could actually think about something other than staying alive long enough to see another day. We could actually lead a semi-normal life and stand a chance, and, by the looks of things, we were giving it our best shot; I was anyway.

It was still hard to believe. It had been five months, and I still found it hard to believe that Annabeth was mine. We were getting married. This was forever. Nothing had really changed, but I was happy it hadn't. No matter what happened, how long we'd been together, or how old we got, we would always just be Percy and Annabeth_._ Nothing could change that. Soon, it would be official, but when it came to us, it always had been. Marriage was just the logical next step, but the ceremony wasn't what would make us married. In terms of love, we already were, we had been for a while.

"Percy!" Grover yelled, breaking my train of thought.

I blinked. "Sorry, what?"

"Daydreaming, Perce?" he asked, smiling.

"Food's here," Jason added helpfully, pointing to the table in front of me where, sure enough, the two slices of pepperoni pizza I'd ordered sat before me. Had I really zoned out that long?

"Yeah, thanks," I answered, picking one up and taking a bite. Jason and Frank chuckled and went back to their food, while Grover stared at me for a second, questioningly. I remembered he could read emotions and immediately felt myself blushing. I looked down at my food, but not before I saw the smirk Grover was giving me. You'd think I'd have gotten used to this whole empathy link thing by now, but apparently not.

I took another bite and looked up again. Jason and Grover had ordered pizza, Jason, with everything on it, Grover, just plain cheese, being vegetarian and all. Frank had ordered…salad. I gave him a look like, "what the heck, man?"

"What?" he asked.

"Are you on a diet or something, Frank? What's with the salad?" I asked.

Frank put his fork down and gave me a "duh" look. "I'm lactose intolerant, Percy. Trust me, you don't want me eating pizza."

I nodded, with an "Oh, yeah. I knew that," expression. I knew I should have remembered that, but Jason looked like he had been wondering the same thing, so that made it a little better.

Poor guy. He had the best of New York pizza right in front of him, and he couldn't even enjoy it.

We talked some more about varying topics, though we were in a public place, and you never knew who was listening, so we tried to keep the conversation as "normal" as possible.

So, be it sad but true, we ended up talking about the weather. I know, pretty pathetic, but hey, we'd fought monsters, and risked our lives, and saved the world a bunch of times. We could talk about the weather if we wanted to.

We were talking about how cold it got in February in New York, verses Camp Half-Blood (which didn't really count, being as the magic borders controlled the weather), Camp Jupiter, California, Canada, Greece, and some other places.

I wasn't really listening because that's when I realized, like the idiot I am, that it was _February._ February meant Valentine's Day, which meant I had to do something nice for Annabeth or risk being dismembered.

And I hadn't gotten her anything or planned anything at all…

"Vlacas," I groaned and stood up, glancing at my watch and determining if I had time to go jewelry shopping.

"Where's the fire, Perce?" Grover asked.

"It's February ninth. Valentine's Day is in _five days_ and I totally forgot. Annabeth will kill me if she finds out I forgot."

Jason laughed. "Well, I'd say something, but it'd be pretty hypocritical, since I only remembered yesterday." I chuckled. Yup, Jason was definitely meant to be Greek. I began pulling out my wallet to pay for lunch. I was shot down before I even got the money out, but I tossed enough to cover my food down anyway, not taking no for an answer.

Frank scowled at me. I grinned back.

"You guys wanna go shopping with me?" I asked jokingly, still smiling.

"No," Jason and Frank answered simultaneously.

Grover shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"Gee, thanks, guys," I replied sarcastically to Frank and Jason. The four of us pulled coats on and walked outside, where we parted ways, Jason and Frank one way, Grover and me, the other.

"You didn't have to come with me, you know," I said, as we walked through the New York City crowds.

Grover shrugged the best he could, being as he was using his crutches. "It's alright. I figured I'd spend a little more time with my best friend before heading back to camp."

I smiled and nodded. "Works for me, G-man."

We made our way through the crowded streets of Manhattan, just two good friends, just like we'd done when we were twelve, and, despite the fact that I was shopping and short on time, it was actually kind of fun.

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**Next chapter within a few days, and I promise it will blow this one out of the water!**

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	6. Candles and Rose Petals

**Hey Guys! here's Chapter 6! I'm warning you now, this chapter is LONG-a little over 3,000 words, but I don't think you'll mind too much. :)**

**I finally got in a little Percy/Annabeth romance, so hopefully I did a good job with that, let me know! **

**After this, there will be one more chapter before the wedding chapter. In other words, chapter 8 will be the wedding- something to look forward to. :)**

**Anyway, to the story. I hope you like it. Please review and let me know what you thought. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to Rick Riordan.**

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I parked the car and got out, quickly making my way across the busy street to my fiancée waiting on the sidewalk, praying that I wasn't _too _late and that she wouldn't kill me. We were sampling flavors for the wedding cake today, and to say that that morning had been a little hectic would be a pretty big understatement.

It was mid-May, about a month before Camp Half-Blood's summer session would begin, and Chiron had asked me to come for a meeting that morning to discuss plans for the upcoming months.

It had been arranged a few months earlier that, after the wedding, I would step down from the full-time position I had there as a sword instructor. I guess you'd say it was my idea, being as I brought it up, though Chiron was unrelenting that I do it, and wouldn't really take no for an answer. On average, I was at camp three to four times a week, and, though I'd never admit it, it was kind of a lot, especially now that Annabeth and I were getting married, and moving on with our lives. Chiron had insisted that he would have no trouble getting another instructor, and that it was better for Annabeth and me in the long run, so I'd agreed.

Honestly, I was kind of glad about it. In a few months, I would have a college diploma, which I could use to get a job that was better suited to support Annabeth and me in the future. And really, I was almost twenty-two now. It was time for the newer counselors to step up. I had a chance at a life outside of camp now, and had every intention of living it.

Anyway, so I'd had a meeting that morning with Chiron to discuss the last minute things that needed to get done before I left. I had gotten to camp a little after 8am and we had finished at around 9:30. Everything was going as planned and I was getting ready to leave, so of course that meant something had to go wrong. Just as Chiron and I stepped out onto the porch of the Big House, the arts and crafts building _exploded_. Apparently some Apollo campers had been arguing, and things got out of hand. Mix flaming arrows and a building full of flammable art supplies and, well… you get the idea. No one was seriously injured, thank the gods, though a dozen campers ended up in the infirmary with second-degree burns, and the rest of the camp got to spend the next hour and a half cleaning up the mess, which, of course, included me.

Being a demigod, I'd learned to carry a change of clothes with me at all times so, between those and a shower at camp, I was able to be somewhat presentable for this afternoon, but that still probably wouldn't change the fact that Annabeth was going to kill me.

I approached my fiancée and tried for a smile, trying to gauge her level of annoyance with me. She glared back… uh oh. I stopped in front of her.

"Hi," I said carefully, preparing for any sudden movement on her part.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, sighing. "I had to push the appointment back half an hour, Seaweed Brain," she told me evenly, looking me right in the eye.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, slowly wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. She sighed into me and hugged me back.

"I know this sounds horrible, but I really can't wait for you to not work at camp anymore. This job makes you late for too many things," she murmured into my chest. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"I know. I can't either," I replied, and then added, "because then, you'll be my wife, and that is definitely something I'm counting the days until." Annabeth pulled back slightly, enough to look up at me. I could tell she was trying hard not to smile.

"Nice save," she said and kissed me quickly. "C'mon," she added when she pulled away, "Let's not be any later than we already are.

Okay, wedding cake sampling was, hands down, my favorite part of the entire wedding planning process. Of course, having Annabeth right next to me only made it better. We tried, like, _fifteen _different cake flavors, almost all of which were pretty amazing. The hardest part was making the decision. We ended up keeping it pretty simple, no surprise, with chocolate cake (devil's food, or something), butter cream, and fresh strawberries (which, this bakery just happened to order from Delphi Strawberry Service, go figure). Annabeth had shown me a picture of what the finished product would look like, pretty simple, three-tiered, white with blue ribbon on the bottom, and white flowers. I wasn't really one for prettiness and details, but I'd thought it looked pretty good.

The entire appointment took under an hour, and we were completely finished by 1pm. Naturally, I assumed Annabeth had more plans and wedding-related errands to drag me on afterward, like she did almost every weekend lately, so I was pretty darn surprised when she looked at me expectantly and asked, "So what now?"

I blinked. "You're asking _me_?" I asked incredulously.

Annabeth smiled, looking amused. "Yup."

"Um, don't we have, like, fifteen other things to do today to get ready for the wedding?" I asked, disbelievingly.

"Nope."

I blinked again, a smile working its way onto my face. "So we have the entire rest of the day?"

"Yes, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth responded, raising an eyebrow, "Can we go now?"

"Uh, I guess so, yeah. Where are we going?"

"Well, since you don't seem to have any better ideas, I thought we could go visit your mom. It's been a while since I've seen her. Think she'll mind?"

"No, she won't," I answered after a second, "Plus, it's Saturday, so Paul should be home too."

"Good," Annabeth answered with a smile and started walking to my car. I opened the door for her, got in myself, and pulled into the Manhattan traffic, the beginnings of a plan forming in my mind. We had the entire rest of the day free. No plans, no tasks, no errands. The last time that happened was, well, not in a while. I was definitely going to take advantage of this.

As it turned out, my mom was more than happy to see us, especially Annabeth (not that I'd expected anything otherwise) and, as usual, she insisted we allow her to cook us lunch; that she had enough food; and that it wasn't a problem at all. Really, it was only one more person to feed, because, technically, I still lived here.

Most nights, especially during the week, I stayed at camp. It was just easier since I was there all day, almost every day anyway, and Poseidon had still yet to provide me any siblings, at least, none that I knew of. Still, most of the time, she only had to cook for her and Paul, and I knew she jumped at any opportunity she got to provide both me and Annabeth with whatever we needed (or what she thought we needed), and refused to take no for an answer… ever.

I felt bad about not being around very much anymore. During the school year, Paul had to work and she was all alone during the day. I tried to make it home for dinner as often as I could, especially now that I would officially be moving out after the wedding (obviously), but most of the time, it just wasn't manageable. Knowing my mom, she made the best of it. Heck, for all I knew, she wasn't lonely at all. That's just how mom was.

While she and Annabeth were deep in conversation about _gods know what_, I wandered into the living room and sat down, trying to fit the pieces of my forming plan together. I wanted to take Annabeth out tonight, do something special for her. The last few months had been hard on both of us, but I knew she was under a lot of pressure. She had gotten a job at an architectural firm in Manhattan about a year ago and, being the newbie, she'd had to work insanely hard to earn a good name for herself. Over the last few months, she'd been pretty busy with work and planning the wedding, which we were both working overtime to pay for. Between work for her and both work and school for me, we hadn't had as much time as we'd had in the past to be together and go out on actual dates.

I knew things would calm down a lot after the wedding, and I couldn't wait, but in the meantime, I was going to do everything in my power to make things easier for Annabeth and get her mind off everything, at least for tonight.

At around 4:30, about an hour later, I dropped Annabeth off at her apartment. "I'm taking you out tonight," I told her as I walked her to her door, "I'll pick you up around 6."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see," I replied with a smile and kissed her goodbye.

I sped home, showered and changed quickly, making sure I looked halfway decent, before heading out again. The next forty-five minutes were spent running around like a crazy person, gathering everything I needed for tonight to work.

When everything was set up and ready, I whistled, a good, New York City cab whistle, and waited. A minute later, Blackjack swooped down and landed expertly beside me. The Pegasus didn't really hang around camp very much anymore, now that I was no longer a camper there. He was a free-spirit, and preferred to be in the wild, though he still showed up whenever I called and had yet to let me down once. "_Yo Boss! Long time, no see," _he whinnied and nuzzled my face, "_Hey, you're looking spiffy. You taking the lovely lady out tonight?"_

"Yeah," I answered, "and I could use your help. Think you're up for it?"

Blackjack scoffed. "_'Course I'm up for it, Boss, what kinda question is that?"_

"Just checking," I answered with a smile. Blackjack waited, staring at me. I shook my head and chuckled, pulling some sugar cubes out of my pocket and feeding them to him. As always, he chomped them down and was ready to fly. "_So, where're we going?"_

Blackjack dropped me off in front of Annabeth's apartment building by 5:55, which left me just enough time to get inside and go up to her apartment to get her by 6. The Pegasus flew off, but I knew he was nearby; waiting for us to emerge so he could pick us up and get going again. Gods, I loved that horse.

I made my way inside, checked with the doorman, who, by now, knew me by name, and got into the elevator. As it turned out, I made it to Annabeth's door with a minute to spare and knocked. She answered a second later, looking as beautiful as ever, and a minute later, we were off.

"So where are we going, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asked once we were outside, "And, um, how are we getting there-" Before she could finish, Blackjack swooped down and landed in front of us. I grinned cheekily at her. She just rolled her eyes in response, but couldn't keep from smiling in the end. Annabeth allowed me to help her onto Blackjack's back and then climbed on myself.

"_No funny business on my back now, Boss, or you will be short one handsome horse," _ Blackjack warned. I nodded, smiling, and a second later, we were airborne.

One thing about Annabeth: she hates not knowing things. Very rarely am I able to pull anything off without her knowing about it, but tonight seemed to be one of those times, and I was determined to keep it that way, no matter how many times she asked me where we were going and what was going on. "You'll see," I replied for the fourth time, and wrapped my arms tighter around her, pulling her into me.

As we came in for the landing, I held my hands over Annabeth's eyes, helped her off of Blackjack, and carefully led her inside. Did I mention Annabeth hates not knowing things? I knew it was driving her crazy, but I knew it would be worth it. If anyone else had tried what I was doing, they would have been seriously injured in about half a second. Then again, I was allowed to do a lot of things others weren't, kissing her, for one.

Thankfully, Annabeth had given in and allowed me to have things my way. After a minute of walking, I stopped her and allowed her to see again. She gasped. "Percy…"

We stood in the stables on the Argo II, which, after the Giant War, had been fixed up and stored at Camp Half-Blood, but didn't really get used very much. Mostly, it just stood in a clearing and looked nice, for now, at least.

In the center of the stables, on the doors, in the very spot we had spent the first official night of the quest together, I had set up a picnic dinner, which had everything from Annabeth's favorite pizza with extra olives, and chocolate toffee from La Maison du Chocolat, to candles and rose-petals. Yeah, I know, cheesy, but they really did make the difference, and, after the last few months, a little extra cheesiness wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"I know it's not exactly Paris," I began, "But-" Annabeth cut me off.

"It's perfect," she murmured and turned to kiss me, which definitely made all the work I'd put into tonight worth it, well worth it.

After dinner, Annabeth and I ended up laying down together, much in the same way we had that first night on board, almost five years ago, when we had snuck down here in the middle of the night. We hadn't intended to spend the whole night, but we'd fallen asleep, and the next morning had been both interesting and mildly embarrassing, and not at all funny, though it was now. Thinking back on it, I laughed quietly. Annabeth looked at me, her eyes questioning.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I was just thinking about the morning we were caught down here. The look on Frank's face…" I started laughing lightly again, Annabeth joined me.

"He was so horrified," Annabeth added.

"And hazel," I added, still smiling.

"The poor girl. She couldn't look me in the eyes again for days."

I chuckled again. Nothing had happened that night. We really had just fallen asleep, but convincing everyone else of that had been futile. Back then, trying something hadn't exactly been realistic, not to mention Annabeth would have _killed_ me, so we simply hadn't. We still hadn't, not even during the year and a half that Annabeth had lived with us after Tartarus.

Now, we were getting married in two months. Even for a demigod, that wasn't _that_ long. This way worked for us, and we'd agreed to keep it that way. I mean, what was the point of marriage if you enjoyed all the benefits beforehand? It made more sense and eradicated the risk of doing something stupid and regretting it later. We were waiting, and were fine with that.

That quest had been horrible, almost every part of it. It definitely took the prize for scariest and most dangerous quest I'd been on, and I'd been on quite a few, but even then, we'd still made some good memories with each other. We'd made the best of it like we always did, and, though the majority of the time, it had epically sucked, it hadn't been _all _bad.

Annabeth sighed and leaned into me. I tightened my arm around her, basking in that moment of pure bliss. This was about as close to perfection as I could imagine. My Elysium was wherever Annabeth was. Of that, I was certain. With her around, even Tartarus hadn't looked so bad.

I kissed her again, and I knew that I could definitely get used to this. I didn't care what anyone else said, as long as I had Annabeth next to me, I didn't need anything else. Everything and anything else simply vanished. It was just the two of us, and I would have been happy to stay that way forever, nothing more, and nothing less. It was really amazing how a day that had started off so terribly had ended so perfectly.

As it turned out, we ended up spending yet another night in the Argo II's stables, in almost exactly the same way we had the first time, what seemed like such a short time ago. The next morning, we'd packed up everything and headed out. Thankfully, it was early and the Argo II was kept away from the main camp areas, so no one saw us, which was definitely good. There were enough stories circulating throughout camp as it was. We certainly didn't need to add cause for more.

I had driven to camp the night before to set everything up in the stables before I had taken Blackjack to get Annabeth, and my car was parked at the bottom of Half-Blood Hill, where I had left it.

"Thank you, Percy," Annabeth said as I walked her to her door, "Last night was amazing."

"I'm glad you liked it," I replied and turned her around to kiss her.

"I love you, Seaweed Brain," she said, resting her head against my chest. No matter how many times I heard those words, they always made my heart skip a beat and my brain to go into overdrive. Yes, I know, love had done a number on me, but I could definitely live with that.

"I love you too, Annabeth." I kissed her goodbye and made my way back outside, thinking that this had been a really great start to my day.

I also couldn't help thinking that maybe we should go on dates within the borders of camp more often, because monsters really knew how to ruin all your plans when you really just absolutely didn't want them to.

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**Soooooooo, what did you think?**

**Did you catch the reference to The Staff of Hermes in there? :)**

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	7. The Night Before Forever

**Hey Guys! Here's Ch. 7!**

**Sorry this wasn't posted over the weekend, like it was supposed to have been. I've been sick... :/**

**A few things before we get to the chapter. First, this is the last chapter before the wedding, meaning chapter 8 will be the wedding chapter! Second, In this story, Calypso is free from Ogygia and her and Leo are together and happy. She's in this chapter. :) Finally, since this story is about married life for Percy and Annabeth, there will obviously things that will take place in it that did not happen in my other stories. I will not directly write about these things, but there will be slight (and I mean very slight) references here and there, such as the one in this chapter. Now it's nothing terrible, but, if you're really particularly sensitive to things like that, I'm warning you now. Seriously though, I mean it when I say they are VERY mild, and they're really nothing to worry about.**

**Anyway, enough of that. To the chapter! Hope you enjoy it! R&R!**

**Disclaimer: All rights to PJO and HoO belong to Rick Riordan! :)**

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"Are you nervous?" I asked Annabeth, who was next to me, head resting on my shoulder, my arm around her.

We sat on the couch, in the living room, surrounded entirely by boxes. Annabeth and I had purchased an apartment together about a week ago, and the last few days had been spent moving things from our separate apartments to the new one. It wasn't anywhere close to move-in ready, and, yes, we were kind of out of time, being as the wedding was tomorrow, but it wasn't really of that much concern. After the wedding, Annabeth and I would be gone for two weeks anyway, and when we came back, we would have plenty of time to get everything unpacked and organized. In the mean time, she had been staying with Piper, who lived right outside the city and I was staying with my mom and Paul. It wasn't ideal, but it was only for a few days and in less than twenty-four hours, it wouldn't matter anymore anyway. Yeah, we probably should have been working on getting the apartment somewhat functional, but after all the chaos and stress of the past few months with getting everything ready for the wedding, it wasn't high on our list of things we wanted to do. Right now, we were enjoying the peace while it lasted, because tomorrow, there definitely wouldn't be any. Everything else could wait.

Annabeth smiled a little and, after a second, shook her head in response to my question. "Are you?" she asked.

I thought for a second. "No," I answered, a smile playing around the edges of my lips. Maybe I should have been, but I wasn't. I loved Annabeth so much and I couldn't imagine ever marrying anyone else, and really, I couldn't wait.

"Good," Annabeth replied smugly.

"So how long until they come for us?" I asked after a second, shifting to look at her full on.

Annabeth sighed lightly, lifted my left arm, and glanced at my watch. "Hopefully a while," she said, obviously just as unhappy about the situation as I was.

It was around 1pm. It was only a matter of time until our friends showed up to drag us off to do what people do the night before they get married. Honestly, I had no interest in doing any such thing, no matter what that entailed, and even if I did, I knew Annabeth would gut me like a fish if she learned about anything she didn't approve of. I hoped and prayed to the gods, and the Fates, and to pretty much any other immortal beings who would listen; that everyone else who was sure to be involved in tonight's festivities understood that.

As if reading my mind, Annabeth sat up and looked at me sternly. "You'd better watch yourself tonight, Seaweed Brain. If I find out about any funny business, you are a dead man. Understood?"

Despite myself, I couldn't help smiling. No matter how close I came to dying, no matter how many times I risked my life fighting the forces of primordial evil, and no matter the fact that I'd been to literal hell and back; Annabeth was, and always had been, scarier and more dangerous. I pulled her close to me again. "I'd expect nothing less from my Wise Girl."

She smiled, but she continued, "You're mine. I've claimed you, and I reserve the right to kick your butt when necessary."

"Don't worry, Annabeth. I wouldn't even think of doing anything. I wouldn't enjoy it anyway, so there's really no point. I love you and only you."

She didn't say anything right away, but I could tell she was smiling. "I love you too," she said after a minute.

"So you trust me then?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"Of course I do, Seaweed Brain."

I smiled wider. "Good."

"It's everyone else, I don't trust," she added.

I chuckled. "Well if they don't listen, I'll just have to find something else to do. I value my life too much."

Annabeth playfully smacked me, but she looked pretty satisfied with that answer. We sat in silence for a minute, before Annabeth sighed and sat up, glancing around the room. "We really should do some unpacking while we still can," she said, turning to look at me.

"Annabeth," I pretty much whined, "But-"

She sat back down and kissed me quickly, effectively shutting me up, and then pulled away, looking at me expectantly, obviously enjoying this.

I held back a grin and replaced it with a dramatic sigh. "Well, now I definitely don't want to get up-"

"C'mon, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth interrupted, " Do you really want to have to unpack everything as soon as we get home from our _honeymoon_? Or would you rather have the necessities done already, so we can do… other things?"

Ooh, she had me there, and she knew it. Annabeth rarely acted in such ways, but when she did, she always won. I groaned, defeated, and started to get up. "Well, when you put it that way…"

Annabeth smiled triumphantly, kissed me one more time, a far better kiss than before, and then grabbed my hand, leading me over to a stack of boxes.

We worked diligently for a few hours, and actually made some progress with the place. By around 4:00, the important things, which, actually wasn't very much, were set up and unpacked. We were demigods. We'd learned to be low maintenance and live off of little. Still, beds, kitchen utensils, and indoor plumbing were preferred if possible.

We ended up in the kitchen, unpacking boxes and sorting through the resulting mess, when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Annabeth called, placing another dish into a cabinet. A minute later, Jason, Piper, and Leo appeared in the doorway.

"Hey," I greeted them, as Annabeth reached for another of the plates stacked in my hands.

Leo scanned the scene before him, shaking his head and clicking his tongue in mock disapproval. He turned to Jason and Piper. "Good thing we came when we did," he said, and gestured to Annabeth and me "I mean, look at this. They're getting married in less than twenty-four hours, and the best way they can come up with to pass the time is to do more work."

"Technically," Annabeth informed them, not looking away from the glassware she was arranging, "we're not working."

Piper raised an eyebrow. "Well, what would you call it then?" she asked.

Annabeth put away the last of the dishes in her hand, and turned to look at the three in the doorway before grabbing more. "Unpacking," she answered swiftly, "Care to help?"

"No," all three answered simultaneously. I smiled and held back a chuckle. Yup, these are our friends, always willing to lend a hand.

Piper stepped forward and snatched the bowls out of Annabeth's hand-something most people wouldn't _think_ of doing. "Come on, Annabeth," Piper told her, "You're getting married tomorrow. The last thing you need to be worrying about right now is unpacking boxes." Annabeth raised an eyebrow, but she continued. "Everyone else is waiting in the car. Now go get ready. You have five minutes." Annabeth didn't move at first. "C'mon, it'll be fun!" Piper added, exasperation beginning to creep into her tone. "Don't make me use charmspeak." Annabeth stared for a second longer, as if deciding whether it was worth arguing or not. Then, she rolled her eyes and made her way out of the kitchen, with Piper following behind her.

I watched them leave and looked to Jason and Leo, raising an eyebrow. "Should I be worried?" I asked quietly.

Both chuckled. "Well, we all know how much Annabeth despises make up, manicures, and chick-flicks, but, all things considered, I think she'll be alright," Jason answered. I smiled and nodded. Despite how bad I felt for my fiancée, I felt that much worse for everyone else she would be with tonight, because getting Annabeth to do what she didn't want to do was no easy task, let me tell you.

I must not have looked entirely convincing, because Jason continued, walking into the kitchen, "Don't worry about her, man. We all know Annabeth can take care of herself."

"I'm not worried about Annabeth," I told him, "I'm worried about everyone with her."

Jason laughed. "You have a point there," he said.

"Anyway," Leo began, glancing at his wrist, as if looking at a watch that wasn't there, "if you two are done, do you think we could _go_ now?"

"Where are we going?" I asked warily.

Jason noticed my expression and grinned. "Don't worry, man. I don't want to have to deal with Piper, any more than you want to have to deal with Annabeth. We're not doing _that_ kind of stuff."

"Oh, gods, no," Leo cut in, "Calypso would _kill_ me…"

"Frank and Grover are waiting outside. We were just gonna hang out," Jason continued, "Get some food, see a movie, maybe stop by camp for some sparring in the arena, probably end up being attacked by a monster or two..."

"You know, the usual," Leo added with a grin.

"We don't have anything specifically planned," Jason finished.

I shrugged, "Alright, as long as Annabeth doesn't have a reason to kill me afterward."

Jason and Leo studied me for a minute, not saying anything. "We won't let you get banged up _too_ badly," Jason decided.

I laughed. "Let's just go." I said and walked past them, out of the kitchen, grabbing my wallet on the way out.

When we got outside, Annabeth and Piper were already there, along with Rachel, Hazel, Calypso, and, surprisingly, Thalia. They were apparently discussing the night's itinerary we came over. Grover and Frank were there too, though they didn't seem to care much for the girls' conversation. When they saw us, they smiled and nodded their greeting and seemed relieved to be leaving soon.

Hazel, Rachel, Thalia, and Calypso (who had completely forgotten about any feelings she'd had for me, now that she had Leo, and had actually become a really great friend, even to Annabeth) hugged me.

We spent a few minutes discussing general plans for the night and the best routes to avoid traffic. Eventually, goodbyes were exchanged and everyone began dispersing to the vehicles they would be riding in. Soon, it was just me and Annabeth. She looked at me rather unhappily. "Is there any way for us to get out of this?" she asked. I smiled and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.

"Unfortunately, I doubt it." I told her.

Annabeth sighed and buried her head deeper into my chest.

"Hey, Lovebirds!" someone, obviously Thalia, called from Annabeth's car, "We haven't got all night!"

Annabeth groaned, but didn't move, which was totally fine with me. I couldn't help smiling a little. After a minute, she sighed again and pulled back, and looked up at me. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she said.

"Try to have some fun tonight," I whispered. I brought my face to hers, close enough for our noses to touch. "I love you," I told her and kissed her.

"I love you too, Percy," Annabeth said when we pulled apart.

"See you tomorrow," I responded, and pecked her one more time. "Can't wait."

"Be good tonight, Seaweed Brain," she warned with a smile as we pulled apart, "I _will_ hurt you."

I grinned back at her. "As always," I replied, and headed toward Jason's car and the open passenger door.

Leo made kissing sounds as I got in and shut the door. "Shut up, I told him, smiling, and praying to the gods that they couldn't see the blush spreading across my face in the not-quite-darkness of a summer night at 6pm.

Sure, I'd rather spend the last few hours before the wedding with Annabeth, but I guess that maybe made the excitement for tomorrow that much greater. I would make the best of it, and I knew she would too, because, come this time tomorrow, we would be married and nothing else would matter.

Not even the jokes Leo made all night or the Hydra that interrupted our dinner plans.

Not even that.

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**Hate it? Like it? Love it? Let me know!**

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so hopefully you liked it as much as I did! :)**

**As mentioned before, the next chapter will be the wedding! I hope to have it up within a few days, but since I've been so bad with meeting the deadlines I set for myself lately, I will make no promises, other than that I will get working on it soon!**

**Thanks for reading! :D**


	8. The Right Words

**Hey guys! Here's chapter 8!**

**Yes, I changed the cover pic for this story, in case you're wondering. I hope it didn't throw anyone off.**

**Now, I know I said this chapter would be the wedding chapter, and I guess it sort of is, but I started writing and this idea just took off. I thought it was nice, so I rolled with it. :) It's a bit on the shorter side, but I promise you I am working on the next chapter right now, and I will have it up by tomorrow night at the latest, I promise! So chapter 9 will be the actual wedding. You have my word. You'll see what I mean by "actual wedding"when you read this chapter.**

**So anyway, next update very soon! To the story!**

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns PJO and HoO, not me... obviously.**

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I took a deep breath, trying to focus in on everything that was going on. There were times when having ADHD came in handy, during a battle for instance, and there were times when it _definitely_ did not. Now would be one of those times.

The wedding was starting in twenty-five minutes, and almost everyone was running around, making sure everyone and everything was ready. Everyone, that is, except for me. I, well, _I_ had nothing to do, really. The only thing I'd been responsible for this morning was to be ready, be on time, and be as presentable as possible. Check, check, and check…I think.

I was definitely ready, to be married anyway, though I wasn't sure about the minor details, the reading of the vows, for one. I had them written and ready to go, sure. The problem, however, was the whole _reading them_ part. You know, being a dyslexic demigod and all, that kind of thing tends to pose a bit of a problem, especially when I'm nervous, which, in front of everyone… yeah, I was a bit concerned about that part.

As for being on time, well I actually _was_, which was pretty much a miracle, being as weddings tend to require a bit more than just jeans and a T-shirt, and I'd spent all morning getting ready with Jason, Frank, Leo, and Grover. Long story short, it had been a bit hectic, and not one of us was particularly happy about the dress code requirements. I mean, it wasn't like I'd never dressed up before, but a tuxedo? It ended up being a bit more than I'd expected, and _much_ less comfortable.

As for the looking presentable part, well, I guess I did okay in that category, at least according to Piper, Hazel, and the few others I'd seen that morning that could actually tell the difference.

Annabeth and I were getting married on the beach, the same beach that I'd proposed to her on. It was a little over half a mile outside Camp Half-Blood, outside the protection of the borders, so mortals could attend. Now, yes, that does leave a very large group of demigods together in one place with no protection, but it would be a bigger problem than it's worth for a monster to attack a wedding with multiple gods present, so it wasn't really of any concern.

Just standing around had been driving me crazy. Worries of everything that could or would go wrong today hit me like a freight train all at once. I guess you could say reality was striking. I just wanted everything to go smoothly, and waiting was doing nothing but making me nervous, so I'd made my way over to a small dock that stuck into the water just a little ways down the beach from where the ceremony would take place. It was out of sight from anyone sitting in the rows, but anyone who knew where to look, would be able to find me easily. That was really the only thing keeping me from just plunging right into the water and forgetting everything for a second.

Hopefully, that meant everyone who wouldn't know where to look would stay away. I would see them later, after the ceremony, and I was happy to deal with them all then, but for now, there was really only one person I wanted to see, and, unfortunately, since we were doing things the "traditional way," I hadn't been allowed to see her since I'd kissed her goodbye last night.

I sat on the side of the dock, staring out at the vast domain of my dad, letting the sea breeze wash over me, taking all my fears away with it. The ocean cleared my mind, calming my ADHD brain for the first time today. I thought of Annabeth, who would be my wife in about an hour. It was a crazy thought, it was true, and it was absolutely awesome. I really did love her so much and, no matter what happened, today would be a good day, because at the end of it, Annabeth would be mine, forever, and that alone, would make everything else worth it.

"I thought I'd find you here," a familiar voice said, breaking me out of my reverie. My mom sat down next to me, bare feet sticking into the water and the edges of her light purple dress blowing gently in the breeze. She gazed across the Long Island Sound, eyes sparkling, like they did every time she was near the sea. She met my eyes. "You're nervous," she said. It wasn't a question.

I blinked. "Is it that obvious?" I asked.

She smiled. "Not really, but I'm your mother, Percy. I can tell. Besides, you wouldn't be here if you weren't."

I didn't say anything right away. I just stared out at the sea. "I just want everything to be perfect," I said after a minute, then added, "for Annabeth."

My mom put her hand on my knee. "It will be, Percy. You're marrying the one you love. Anything else that happens…" she shrugged, "Years from now, you'll look back on today, and cherish every moment, good or bad." I continued to watch the sea, though her words made me feel better. My mom always knew what to say. I knew she was right. She always was. "You look so handsome, Percy. So much like your father," she added lovingly.

She ruffled my hair like she did when I was a kid, and then fixed it. When she finished, she was blinking back tears. She sighed lightly, wiping them carefully away. "The wedding hasn't even started yet, and I'm already crying."

I turned to face her, smiling lightly. "I love you, mom," I told her. She smiled like those three little words meant the world to her, which, I knew, they kind of did; and hugged me.

"I love you too, Percy," she whispered, "So much. I'm so proud of you."

When she let go, I noticed my dad, standing in the sand at the end of the dock, dressed only slightly nicer than usual in khaki pants and a blue button-up shirt. He grinned at me. My mom followed my gaze and smiled at him, and, though she obviously tried to hide it, her cheeks turned a little pink. "Sorry to interrupt," Poseidon said, "But it's starting in a few minutes, and I thought Percy might want to be in attendance for his own wedding."

I chuckled once and nodded slightly as I stood up, my mom following my lead. My dad winked and clapped me on the back when I approached.

The three of us walked up the beach and back to where Annabeth and I would be getting married in only a few minutes. With every step, the nerves got stronger and stronger, but in a way that was strangely calmer than before.

"Good luck, my boy," my dad told me and gave me a quick, but meaningful hug, before leaving to take his seat.

My mom smiled at me encouragingly and hugged me. "Annabeth's lucky to have you, Percy," she told me.

"I'm lucky to have her," I answered immediately and then blushed a little when I realized what I'd said and how cheesy and love struck it sounded. My mom just smiled wider, caressed my cheek with her hand, and left, taking her seat next to Paul, who looked over and nodded at me, smiling.

With that, I joined Grover and Joseph, the wedding officiant, off to the side, and waited for the ceremony to begin.

Two minutes later, Joseph informed me that it was time to begin. "Are you ready?" he asked.

I nodded, smiling, and trying not to let the nerves show through. Grover met my eyes and gave me an encouraging nod, with an expression that said _"I know exactly how you feel. I've been there. You've got this." _I smiled wider, truer, and turned toward the flowered arch, standing in front of Annabeth and my family and friends. I said a quick prayer to any god listening, took a deep breath, and followed Joseph to the front, Grover right behind me.

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	9. Wedding Bells

**Two updates in one day! I think that's a record. For this story anyway. :)**

**Here's chapter 9! I just spent all night working on it, so hopefully you like it. For once, I actually do. :)**

**Note: In this story, like in my other stories, Annabeth's stepmom's name is Theresa. Feel free to name her whatever you want, but just to clear up any possible confusion, Theresa is Annabeth's stepmom.**

**Disclaimer: All rights to PJO and HoO belong to Rick Riordan, not me!**

**R&R!**

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The music started playing and everyone turned to look behind them. I turned my attention there also. So many emotions were swirling inside me all at once: excitement, fear, worry, delight, a thousand others, all fighting for dominance at the same time.

Jason and Piper walked down the aisle first. When they reached the front, they separated and took their places. They were followed by Frank and Hazel. Then came Thalia, who, though I knew she absolutely despised it, wore a dress matching Piper's and Hazel's. Blue, knee-length, with a green belt-I guess it's called a sash-across her waist. It turned out she cleaned up nicely when she wanted to, or, at least when she _had_ to.

Riley, Chris and Clarisse's three year old son, the ring bearer walked down the aisle next. He didn't really understand the whole concept, but he did his job the best he could and went to stand by Jason. After him, came Sarah, the seven year old daughter of Athena. She had shown up at camp almost a year ago, a little girl after Annabeth's own heart, and her favorite, though she'd never admit it. Sarah made her way to her spot by Piper, executing her task flawlessly, like any good Athena kid would.

After that, the music changed, the guests stood, and my vision tunneled. My face probably broke into a huge, stupid, love struck grin, and I couldn't have cared less. The second Annabeth stepped into view, every ounce of worry and fear left my body, leaving me only with the pure joy and elation of what was about to happen. It was like magic, which probably goes to show just how hopelessly hard I'd fallen for her, but I definitely wasn't complaining. Everything came into sharp focus, and I could see every detail of everyone and everything, but I was only looking at her.

She wore a simple white dress, long and lovely, just dusting the sand and billowing gently in the breeze as she walked. Her hair was loosely up, with strands hanging down here and there, and blowing gently, her veil doing the same. She wore light makeup, barely noticeable, unless you were, well, me. She smiled, eyes shining brighter with every step she took on her bare feet. This was my Annabeth. My beautiful, amazing Annabeth and she was _mine._ The thought made me smile even wider.

Mr. Chase-Fredrick, as he made me call him, and probably _dad_ now- walked her the rest of the way down the aisle. In what could have been seconds, or hours, he and Annabeth stopped before me. He kissed her cheek, shook my hand, and then put it in hers. He smiled at us and took his seat next to Theresa, his wife, and Bobby and Matthew, their twin boys.

"Hey," Annabeth whispered.

"Hey," I whispered back. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Joseph the officiant spoke, preventing her from speaking it.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to unite this man and this woman," Joseph said, gesturing to the two of us as he spoke, "in holy matrimony…" He continued on.

Annabeth and I faced each other, holding hands. I couldn't help but bask in how absolutely beautiful she was. Her eyes, her hair, her lips, everything; she was absolutely, completely, one-hundred percent flawless, and I absolutely loved her. I had no doubt in my mind.

Joseph turned to me. "Do you, Perseus Jackson, take Annabeth Chase to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish, from this day forward, in sickness and health, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, till death do you part?"

I smiled, looking into Annabeth's eyes, which stared right back into mine. "I do," I answered.

He turned to Annabeth. "And do you, Annabeth Chase, take Perseus Jackson to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, till death do you part?"

"I do," she answered proudly, gray eyes sparkling.

"Then, at this time, you may exchange the vows you have written for each other," Joseph told us, taking a step back and looking to me.

I took a deep breath, let go of Annabeth's hands and pulled the folded up piece of paper out of my jacket pocket, suddenly nervous. Out of everything that would happen today, everything that may or may not go as planned, this had to. Unfortunately, my dyslexic, ADHD brain had other ideas. "Annabeth," I began, squinting down at the words I'd sprawled out as legibly as possible. It just wasn't working. I looked up, glanced at Annabeth, to our guests, back to Annabeth, back at the paper. "You know what," I decided, folding the paper back up, "I don't need this," I announced, and slid the paper back into my pocket. Annabeth was eyeing me strangely, worriedly, but I grabbed her hands.

"Annabeth," I began again, louder and stronger this time, but I was only speaking to her. "When I first met you, I thought you were a pretty girl, with princess curls, scary eyes, and an attitude." A few chuckles from the guests. "The first and only thing you said to me was 'You drool in your sleep.' I was sure you hated me. End of story.

"It didn't take long though, for us to become friends, and good ones at that. In no time, you were my best friend, my partner, the one I trusted with my life. From there, it was slow going, a winding, twisting, and confusing road, but, eventually, we made it to something more and ever since then, our love has surpassed any and every obstacle we were faced with. This love is strong. It goes all the way to hell and back. It's the kind that lasts forever, and I intend for it to.

"Years ago, I vowed that we were staying together; that I would never let you get away from me again, and I am prepared to keep that promise, no matter what. So today, right now, I promise you. I will love you, and you alone, for the rest of eternity, and nothing will separate us. I won't allow it. You are my everything: my love, my _wife_, my Wise Girl, and I love you so, _so_ much. I give you my word. I give you my love. And I give you me, for the rest of forever." There were a few "awww's" from our family and friends, but I barely registered them. I was looking at Annabeth, who looked about as happy as I'd ever seen her. Her eyes were filling, though she was fighting it, and her smile was dazzling.

Joseph turned to Annabeth, signaling that it was her turn, which seemed a bit obvious, but she didn't seem to mind. Thalia handed her a piece of paper that she must have been holding the whole time. Annabeth faced me and began to read.

"Percy," she began, "When I first met you, I was convinced you were a hopeless case. You were confused, and thick, and just had _so many questions_, which never actually stopped." I heard Jason snickering behind me. "I couldn't stand you, and then, one day, I just _could_. You were different from anyone I'd ever met before and you were my best friend. And later, you were that huge crush of mine that just simply _could not_ catch a clue. You were a Seaweed Brain, and then, eventually, _finally_, you were _my Seaweed Brain_.

"My whole life has been filled with people who never stuck around. Who were constantly leaving, and constantly letting me down. You were different. _You_, Percy, never left, not intentionally, anyway. Out of everyone else, you were the one person I could count on to always be there when I needed you. I wanted to build something permanent, _longed _to, and I was finally able to. With you.

"Today, I officially give to you what has already been yours for a long, long time. I promise to love you, my best friend, my hero, and my husband, now and forevermore. You have my heart. Forever. And I couldn't possibly ask for anything better. You are mine, I am yours, and nothing else will ever matter more."

Annabeth gave the piece of paper back to Thalia and returned to face me again. The rest of the ceremony flew by. Annabeth and I gave roses to our new in-laws, hugs were exchanged, and the closing statements were made.

And then, finally, _finally_, he said it. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride." Annabeth smirked at me and allowed me to grab her and kiss her. In terms of kisses, it was nothing particularly special, but there was a new spark that hadn't been there before and, long story short, it was really, _really_ good. We turned and faced our guests, holding hands. "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Percy Jackson!" Joseph announced. Everyone cheered as we made our way up the aisle.

Everyone could see us and we only had a minute, but I pulled Annabeth close to me and kissed her again. It felt so good to hold her. She was mine. It was official. We were _permanent._ My heart was just about bursting with the joy and love, and pure bliss of it all.

"I love you, Percy," Annabeth said when we pulled away. She laid her head against my chest and I just held her for that one minute. We'd just been going, going, going all day, and now, the hard part was done. It was official. Annabeth and I were married and we had the rest of our lives to spend together.

"I love you too, Mrs. Jackson," I told her and kissed her again, then grabbed her hand and led her back toward our guests, who were waiting to congratulate us.

All the gods were there.

My mom was crying.

My dad was grinning.

Annabeth was smiling.

Everyone was happy.

I was completely and totally in love. This was the best day of my life, and it was not even _close_ to over.

* * *

The reception was great. Everyone had a lot of fun. Annabeth's and my first dance went pretty well, meaning neither of us tripped, or fell, and we didn't step on each other's feet _too_ much. Grover, Thalia, and my dad all gave speeches, all of which were interesting, but meaningful.

By the end of the night, everyone was smiling, the gods had managed to refrain from reducing anyone to ashes, and our few mortal friends remained in their complete and blissful ignorance of the Olympian world.

We said goodbye to everyone one last time before leaving. Our friends hugged us and wished us well, congratulating us one more time, though not without throwing in some _other_ comments (_*cough*_ Leo _*cough* _Thalia _*cough*)_.

I gave my mom a hug. She was trying not to cry again, and failing pretty horribly at it. "I love you, mom," I told her.

"I love you too, Percy," she replied. "I'm so proud of you. I couldn't ask for a better son."

"Thanks, mom."

"Congratulations, honey. Have fun. You have Riptide, right?"

"Yup," I held up the pen, then hugged her one last time and kissed her cheek.

Paul shook my hand. "Congrats, Percy."

"Thanks for coming, Paul," I told him.

"Of course," he said, "I wouldn't have missed today for the world." I smiled and he gave me a hug. "Have fun," he said.

While Annabeth said goodbye to my parents, I shook hands with Fredrick, gave Theresa a hug, and said goodbye to the twins. "Take care of her, Percy," Fredrick said.

"You have my word," I told him.

Annabeth was waiting for me. She smiled at me and grabbed my hand. We turned around to head to my car, and almost ran right into Poseidon and Athena, literally.

"Going somewhere?" My dad asked, grinning. I didn't know what to say. I glanced at Annabeth, who was greeting Athena, and at my friends and family behind me, who had grown quiet, and I now saw why. It was like time had frozen momentarily. They were all still there, but they stood, frozen, right where they'd been before we'd turned to go, but I suppose if the gods want to freeze time to have a conversation with their kids, so be it. Worse things had happened. "You wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to your old man, now would you?" Poseidon asked.

"Course not," I told him, smiling now. My dad smiled back.

"Congratulations, my boy. I'm proud of you," he said and gave me a hug, which, even after all these years, was still strange, but felt good nonetheless. "Enjoy your honeymoon," my dad told me, with a look that made my cheeks grow hot.

"Uh, thanks," I said. My dad laughed. He clapped me on the shoulder, and gestured toward Athena. My heartbeat quickened. Even though I'd gotten her permission to marry Annabeth, I knew Athena still wasn't particularly fond of me. Despite that, I steeled my nerves and stepped over toward my godly mother-in-law.

"Lady Athena," I greeted her.

"Hello again, Percy," she replied, sounding pretty pleasant, compared to any other time she'd spoken to me. She continued, "I suppose, congratulations. I'm still not particularly happy about this arrangement, but you have proven yourself more than enough times and I know how much you love my daughter. For that, I respect it and accept it, and therefore, you."

I hesitated, trying to determine whether I'd heard correctly or not. Athena was accepting my marrying Annabeth? She didn't hate me anymore? "Thank you, Lady Athena," I told her and nodded politely. She nodded back stiffly, but managed a small smirk, not even grand enough to be considered a smile, and then vanished, though thankfully, this time, not in a column of flames.

I returned to Poseidon, who was talking to Annabeth. She smiled at me when I approached. "Well," Poseidon said, looking between the two of us, "I suppose I will let you go then. Good luck to the both of you. I'm sure I will be seeing you again soon. Enjoy yourselves." And with that, he gave me one last smile, and disappeared into sea spray.

The second he was gone, time unfroze. The cheering and talking behind us resumed. I grabbed Annabeth, pulling her close, kissed her one more time, which made the cheering grow significantly louder, and led her to my car, which our friends had so conveniently decorated for us. I sighed, shaking my head at the sight, but couldn't help laughing. It was covered in streamers and balloons, with "Just Married" written in window paint on every side, and, of course, the cans hanging from the bumper, one of which had a bite taken out of it, courtesy of Grover, I'm sure. I opened the door for Annabeth and she climbed in. I looked back at our guests, smiled, waved, and got behind the wheel. I kissed Annabeth one more time, and we were off.

* * *

Our two weeks in Paris were nothing short of amazing. I had never been so happy in my entire life. No monsters attacked. No gods stopped by unexpectedly. No one bothered us for the entire two weeks we were there. Annabeth and I grew ever closer, connected on a whole new level, and loved every single minute of it.

It was perfect. _She_ was perfect. And she was _mine_. Nothing would ever separate us again. I wouldn't allow it. We deserved some peace, as far as I was concerned, and we were going to get it. The gods owed us that much.

And for once, things actually seemed to be going right.

_Finally._

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	10. Someday

**Here's chapter 10! Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Each one made me smile!**

**To the story!**

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns all PJO and HoO characters and original plots. :)**

* * *

Okay, so maybe we did run into a sphinx on the way home from the airport, but it was quick and, well, _ridiculously_ simple. It's always easier to take down a monster the second time around, but this was almost laughable. We took her out in under two minutes. It was probably some sort of record, but, really, who's counting? It did, of course, help that I'd been fighting monsters with my partner for, like, ten years, and knew her like the back of my hand, but still.

Anyway, Annabeth and I took down "Miss Exemplary" and, without even glancing back, I grabbed her hand, and we headed back onto the busy sidewalk, flagged down a cab, and continued on our way home as if nothing had happened at all.

When we got to our apartment, late in the afternoon, I paid the cab driver and grabbed Annabeth's and my suitcases, carrying them inside. When Annabeth and I were sixteen and had first started dating, she had been pretty opposed to such chivalries, insisting she was capable of doing things for herself, which, I knew all too well, believe me. Eventually though, she became resigned to the fact that I was carrying her bags and opening doors for her, and that was that.

When we got to the apartment, I unlocked the door and followed Annabeth inside, awed, yet again, at how beautiful she was, in all her tank topped and monster dust covered glory. I left the suitcases in our bedroom and wandered out to find her.

She was standing in the dining room, which was open to both the kitchen and the living room, staring at the boxes stacked all around her. I approached her from behind and put my arms around her. "I don't even know where to begin," she said. I looked around and was suddenly glad we'd gotten most of the necessities done before the wedding. At least now, we could take our time with getting everything else done. We didn't even have that much stuff, but the apartment was still pretty much completely empty. It was kind of overwhelming.

I rested my chin on Annabeth's hair. "We'll figure it out," I told her.

She was quiet for a second. "Can you believe it, Percy? That this is all real?" she asked quietly.

I smiled. "No." It still hadn't quite sunk in. Annabeth was my wife. We were married. This was our life. It was so surreal. It was almost like it was all a dream; a really amazing dream, which, as a demigod, I didn't really have, but still.

"We did it," she murmured. I knew what she meant. We'd actually done it. We'd beaten all the odds and survived long enough to get to this point. Despite everything, here we were, finally.

I kissed the top of her head and tightened my grip around her. Annabeth turned in my arms so she was facing me and leaned into my chest. I knew she was tired. I certainly was. Paris time was six hours ahead of New York, and we'd been traveling all day. Between jet lag and eight hours on a plane, sleep was sounding pretty good right about now.

I was just about to suggest that maybe a nap would be a good idea, when there was a knock at the door. Annabeth pulled away from me, eyes slightly narrowed. She obviously wasn't expecting anyone either.

I turned and headed toward the door, opening it to reveal Grover standing in the doorway. He had a huge grin plastered to his face. His eyes were wide, and he was bouncing slightly, as if about to erupt with excitement. He wore his usual human disguise: cap, fake feet, and crutches; though he clutched the crutches in his left hand at his side, obviously far too wound up to have the patience to deal with them.

Before I could even open my mouth to greet him, Grover beat me to it. "Hey, Percy! Thank the gods, you're back!" The satyr stepped inside, not waiting to be invited in, and didn't miss a beat, "How was the honeymoon? Do you know how hard it is to have to wait _two whole weeks_ to tell my best friend the _greatest news ever_?" I blinked, utterly confused, as he made his way into the apartment, still talking, probably to find Annabeth. I shook my head, smirking, shut the door, and followed him.

When I got to the living room, Grover was hugging Annabeth, who was sitting on the couch. I joined her, and put my arm around her, which may not have been the best idea, because I was comfortable and exhausted, and instantly, my eyes felt heavy. Despite this, I focused my attention on Grover, who seemed happy to stand. The satyr was eyeing the two of us, his euphoria seeming to fade for a moment. "You two look beat," he noticed.

"It's an eight hour flight from Paris," I explained lamely.

Grover nodded, as if that wasn't an obvious statement. "How long ago did you get back here?" he asked.

I thought for a second. "About ten minutes before you showed up at the door."

"Oh, really?" Grover asked, "Sorry, guys. I figured you'd be home way before then."

"Our flight got delayed," Annabeth explained, with the same lack of animation, "we ran into a Sphinx on the way home, and our cab got stuck in traffic."

"Oh, wow," Grover said, then added, "You guys just have horrible luck, don't you?"

At this, we both started laughing. "You're just noticing now?" I asked him, smiling. "Now, what's this big news you came all the way from camp to tell us?"

Grover lit up again like a Christmas tree. "Oh yeah!" he said, like he couldn't believe he'd forgotten. "Guys, guess what! You're not gonna believe it!" He looked like he was about to explode with joy again. "I'm gonna be a daddy!"

I blinked and sat up, dumbstruck; trying to figure out if I'd heard him correctly. "Wait, _what?_"

Annabeth perked up immediately. "Juniper's pregnant?" she asked, smiling hugely.

Grover nodded so vigorously, it was a wonder he didn't give himself whiplash. I hadn't seen his smile that big in a really long time; probably not since the day he and Juniper had gotten married. "Yeah!" he said, laughing with delight.

I stood up, a smile spreading across my face. "Grover, that's great! Congrats." He hugged me, and then Annabeth.

It was at least another five full minutes before he calmed down enough to converse normally again.

"She told me the day after the wedding. Waiting two whole weeks to tell you was _horrible_," Grover was telling us animatedly.

"Why didn't you IM us?" Annabeth asked.

"I wanted to tell you in person," he replied, "Plus, well, you were on your honeymoon. I didn't want to, er, bother you." Annabeth turned a little pink, but didn't argue.

"So, um, how long until the baby's born?" I asked.

"Well," Grover began, "we're not completely sure, but probably in about seven months. Juniper and I are both half-human, so usually that means the pregnancy will last about as long as it would for a human, maybe a little longer. So yeah, in, like, seven or eight months, since she's about two months in." He looked to Annabeth with a questioning expression, as if asking if that reasoning was right or not.

She shrugged and nodded. "Maybe a little longer, since both of you grow slower than humans do, but it's unlikely." I held back a smirk. Was there anything Annabeth didn't know about?

Grover nodded and smiled again.

"Well, that's awesome, G-man," I said, "We're really happy for you."

"Thanks, me too," he replied, his smile never faltering. "You guys should stop by camp for a visit sometime. I know it would mean a lot to Juniper. And me. And everyone else there." He finished lamely.

Annabeth smiled and assured him that we would, as soon as we got unpacked and settled a little bit.

"Well, I should probably be heading back," he said, "The Counsel of Cloven Elders is meeting soon, and I have to be there."

Annabeth and I walked Grover to the door and said our goodbyes. "Congrats again," I told him before he left.

"To you guys too," he said, "You did just get married."

I laughed quietly. "Thanks, G-man."

"Tell Juniper hi for us," Annabeth told him.

"I will. Bye!" Grover promised, as he made his way out the door and toward the elevator.

I smiled and shut the door and followed Annabeth back into the living room. She took her place again on the couch, looking over at the boxes again, as if trying to decide where to begin. I sat down next to her, sitting back and putting my arm around her, which forced her to sit back also. "We'll unpack later," I murmured, "Those boxes aren't going anywhere." I expected her to protest, but, surprisingly, she nodded and leaned into me, surrendering.

We were quiet for a moment, when Annabeth said, "That'll be us someday, you know." I knew what she meant.

I smiled. "I know."

"Is that hard to believe?"

I thought for a second and chuckled. "Kind of, but I totally want it to be."

Annabeth smiled too. "Me too," she said, "Someday."

"Someday," I agreed, still smiling.

The subject, foreign and strange as it was, was also familiar at the same time. I'd thought about having a family with Annabeth many times. Long before we'd gotten married, we'd known. We'd never actually come right out and plainly said it, but it had always been implied between the two of us that, one day, we would get married, and one day, we would start a family of our own. Well, we'd gotten married. We weren't ready to have kids yet, but, in a few years, when we _were_ ready, I had no doubt, we would.

In the meantime, it was just me and Annabeth, and I wasn't necessarily in any hurry to change that. A family would come in time, but right now, it was the two of us, and right now, that was more than enough. There was no rush. Our entire lives had been spent fighting ancient evils and trying to survive to see another day. We hadn't been able to enjoy being young and being together. Now, we'd made it through all of that, and we were going to enjoy the peace we had, for however long it lasted, and, _gods so help me_, it had better last for a while, because I was through with being their punching bag.

Annabeth and I were going to enjoy each other, together, and, for now, nothing else mattered more than that.

We fell asleep like that, half sitting, half lying on the couch, Annabeth leaning against me, content, blissful, and happy; and we didn't wake up until four o'clock the next morning.

* * *

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	11. Getting Caught in the Rain

**Here's chapter 11! Sorry guys, I wanted to have this chapter up before Christmas, but between holiday insanity and technical difficulties, it just wasn't going to happen.**

**This chapter is a little on the shorter side and I don't really like most of it, but it's kind of needed. It's a filler chapter. Bear with me. The ending is the best though! **

**Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I love you all.**

**Merry (late) Christmas everyone! **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: All rights to PJO/HoO belong to Rick Riordan!**

* * *

A few weeks went by and, all things considered, married life was treating us pretty well.

Annabeth and I had never actually lived together before. Sure, after the quest to Greece, she had technically lived with me, my mom, and Paul for over a year in order for the both of us to cope with the aftereffects of Tartarus (nightmares, flashbacks, total PTSD… really, _really _bad days) without disturbing the peace of those around us and/or going completely insane, but it had never been just the two of us. Now, it was, which was really great, but definitely different.

Our first argument happened about a week after we got home. It was over something pretty stupid, like most of our arguments were, and it was resolved quickly, as usual, but something was different. Annabeth and I had argued and fought a lot over the years we'd known each other, and I had always hated it. After Tartarus, our arguments had become rarer, but they had still occurred, and I'd disliked them even more. Now that we were married though, I absolutely despised fighting with her with every fiber of my being. I'm not sure what it was exactly, other than that my love for her had grown even more and fighting with her had just become that much harder, a hundred times worse than it had been before we were married. Yeah, it was weird, but it was true, and I was determined to avoid arguing with Annabeth as much as possible from then on, and I knew she felt the same.

In the time we'd been home, we'd gotten a surprisingly large amount of boxes unpacked. After only a few days of diligent work, the apartment had come together enough to make one believe that people were actually living in it. I'd like to say I played a bigger role in getting everything together than I did, but it quite obviously wouldn't be true. Annabeth ran the show from the start; I simply did as I was told, and it was probably a good thing, because when it came to organizing and interior design, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing, and Annabeth was actually pretty good at it (no surprise). Really, when it came down to it, there were quite a few things Annabeth was better at than I was. I had long ago accepted this as fact and was happy to let her take the lead. In the end, it worked out. Annabeth was happy, I was happy, and the things that needed to get done, got done (at least I think they did).

Annabeth went back to work a week after coming home from Paris. Zeus knows, she probably would have gone back the very next day, but her boss had given her the extra week and hadn't really given her a choice, which was totally fine with me. I continued on with the college courses, which I would soon be done with. Graduation was in December, five months from now. The end was in sight, and I was determined to finish strong, and I knew Annabeth was happy about it, which made it all that much better.

Long story short, our first few weeks together were hectic and busy. Marriage was a new concept and, though it was absolutely awesome in every sense of the word, it took some getting used to, but we made it, like we always did, and despite everything that was going on, the weeks after the wedding were the best weeks of my life, no contest.

The first time we visited camp, about a month after the honeymoon, everyone knew we were there. No matter how regularly I had been at camp up until the wedding, the campers still pretty much worshipped me, and it was pretty annoying, let me tell you. For Annabeth, it was twice as bad, because she hadn't been around camp as often. But when it was the two of us together, forget it, and the fact that we were married now didn't help matters. At all.

Our generation of demigods was the first in hundreds of years to actually survive into adulthood. To these new campers, the next generation, that alone made us legendary. Now, add to that the titles of two-time Heroes of Olympus, and, well, all hope of normalcy is pretty much lost. We weren't the first demigods to get married, take Chris and Clarisse for example. They had been married for about three years now, but Annabeth and I, well, we were popular. Really popular, and of course, being as we, unfortunately, had been one of Aphrodite's personal projects, the two of us together were just as renowned as the two of us individually. Now that we were married, we had become even more popular, if that was possible, and the campers, especially the younger ones, weren't about to let us forget it.

Despite all the adoring fans/campers (Seriously, it wasn't like we were celebrities or anything), our visit to camp was actually pretty nice. Chiron and Rachael were happy, as always, to see us. So were Grover and Juniper, though they wanted to know why we hadn't stopped by camp sooner, especially Juniper, who was as confined to her tree as ever, especially now that she was pregnant.

We ended up staying through lunch, longer than we'd been expecting, and after, Annabeth and I made our way down the beach, outside the camp's barriers. Campers weren't allowed past the borders, for risk of consequences that just weren't worth it, so we knew we wouldn't be followed. Annabeth and I walked about half a mile in the sand, to the beach where we had gotten engaged, and later married.

It was early August, hot and humid, but the sea breeze blowing off the ocean was cool and refreshing, and the small beach was well hidden and far enough away from civilization that it was empty. I walked beside Annabeth, holding her hand, and couldn't help but remember all the times we'd done this at camp when we were teenagers.

We stopped when we got to a place by the water, maybe twenty feet in front of a small boulder that sat in the sand. It was the place where I'd proposed. For a minute, we just stood there, side by side, gazing out at the Long Island Sound, waves washing over our bare feet. I looked at Annabeth, and wondered, for the millionth time, when I became lucky enough to have her. She noticed me staring and looked at me, raising an eyebrow, a small smirk on her face. I didn't say anything; I just kissed her, forgetting the rest of the world for that moment.

"I love you," I told her when we pulled away a minute later.

She smiled and stared at me for a second. "I love you too, Percy," she said finally, like that should be obvious, and leaned into me. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her down with me until we were sitting in the sand, Annabeth in my lap. I willed the waves to deflect around us and held my wife close.

I'm not sure how long we stayed that way, but apparently long enough for the clouds to roll in and the rain to come. And I don't mean rain that starts out light and gradually gets heavier. I'm talking huge rain drops that pour down all at once and soak you to the bone in a minute, with thunder and lightning on the side. Storms like that usually roll in quickly, but not instantly. The evidence of the coming storm had probably been there for a while, but I hadn't been paying attention. Not until it started pouring, that is.

Regardless of whether it was expected or not, we ended up caught in the rain. Or I guess you could say it caught us. The first raindrops had fallen just as I had kissed Annabeth, and before we could even pull apart in shock, it was down pouring. Annabeth gaped at the falling rain in surprise. Apparently she hadn't noticed the signs either, which was out of character for her, but I guess she _had_ been kind of preoccupied…

We were on our feet in no time, not that it mattered, because even in the short time it took for us to do so, we were soaked. Being a son of Poseidon, I normally didn't get wet unless I wanted to, but rain came from the sky, Zeus's domain, and was, so _very_ conveniently, the exception to that rule, so I got just as wet as Annabeth did.

For a second, we just stood there, looking at each other. Annabeth shook her head, and I could tell she was trying not to laugh. I grinned back. Now, yes, as a general rule, it is not smart to stand outside in the middle of a thunderstorm. It's even less smart to do so when Zeus is your uncle and has threatened to strike you down with lightning more than a few times, but we did it anyway. We'd saved the gods' sorry butts and the whole rest of the world more than once. I wasn't concerned.

So, in the complete opposite manner of any normal person, of which, we definitely weren't, I kissed Annabeth, on the beach, in the pouring rain, with lightning streaking across the sky. It was stupid, and cheesy, and completely uncalled for, but it was totally us, and that was enough for me.

And after, we made our way, dripping wet, through the rain and the wet sand, back up the beach to head home, and everything was great.

We were still young, and in love like never before. We could still do stupid things together and act like the teenagers we'd really had so little time to be. We could have _fun._ And that's what we were doing.

That is until…

"Percy, did you shut the car windows?" Annabeth asked.

Oh _Styx._

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**See? Isn't that ending the best? I thought it was pretty good. Hopefully you did too!**

**Please review. It would mean a lot!**

**Next chapter soon.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. Off to a Pretty Good Start

**Here's chapter 12! **

**Thanks for all the feedback last chapter! **

**For those of you who haven't seen it yet, I posted a one-shot a few days ago about Annabeth, her life, and the one person who never let her down, and it would mean a lot if you could go check it out, if you haven't already! It's called Something Permanent. It's worth the read, I promise! Like I said, I would really appreciate it if you'd check it out. Thanks to everyone who did already, and left reviews! I love you guys! :)**

**Anyway, I give you chapter 12!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO/HoO.**

* * *

I was graduating today. It was finally here, and thank the gods for it.

We had gotten to the university campus about an hour before the ceremony was to begin. All graduates were supposed to arrive early, so everyone could get signed in and situated in time, which made sense I guess, but it also meant I was probably going to be waiting around uselessly for a while, which I was not particularly excited about. When we got inside, Annabeth and I parted ways. I went one direction to go sign in, while she went the other, to find my mom and Paul, who were saving her a seat.

After what felt like hours of waiting in line, but had probably only been a few minutes, I was signed in and ready to go. The ceremony didn't start for another half hour, and graduates didn't have to assemble for another fifteen minutes, so I figured I should probably go say hi to my parents. I made my way to find my family, graduation garb in hand.

It took longer than I'd expected to find them, probably because there were about a thousand or so other people also standing around. When I finally did, I made my way over, trying to get through the crowd and anger as few people as possible in the process.

Annabeth was the first to notice me approach. She smiled sweetly, pride very evident in her features (and the graduation hadn't even started yet). She gave me a once over and her expression turned more amused and slightly flabbergasted, as I laid the cap and gown on one of their chairs and stood next to her.

"What?" I asked her.

She shook her head, smirking. "Seaweed Brain," she scolded, "Do you _know_ how to tie a tie?"

I glanced down at said tie, which I'd actually thought looked pretty good, and then back at her. I grinned and shrugged. "Nope," I answered.

That wasn't completely true. I could tie it, just very badly. Paul had tried to teach me the day he and my mom had gotten married, when the two of us had been getting ready beforehand, but it hadn't worked out so well. I had understood it when he'd showed me, but then I'd tried to do it, and I'd wound up with a pretty impressive knot, but not much else. The process had served as a good distraction for his pre-marital nerves, but we had ultimately run out of time, so my tie tying skills had remained just as poor as they had been before that.

Other than that day, I hadn't really had a reason to learn. I'd only worn a tie about five times total in my lifetime, and someone else, usually my mom, had always tied it for me. A father was supposed to teach his son those things, and well, my dad was a god whom I hadn't met until I was twelve. The only other "father figure" (if you could even call him that) around had been Gabe, and I certainly hadn't been about to ask _him_ to teach me. The dirt bag probably didn't know how to anyway, as if he'd ever worn anything other than stained, ratty T-shirts that barely fit him.

I was a demigod. In my world, ties just weren't very important, unless, of course, you were a son of Aphrodite, and I _certainly_ wasn't. I could strap on armor perfectly in ten seconds flat, and saddle a Pegasus like a pro. Really, when it came down to it, _ties_ just didn't matter that much.

Annabeth looked at me for a second, like she'd actually been expecting a different answer, before completely undoing the thing and tying it all over again. "Percy, how do you live to be twenty-two years old and never learn how to tie a tie?"

I shrugged nonchalantly again. "I don't _wear_ ties," I told her simply.

"You wore one for our wedding," she countered, "And that one actually looked decent, so I guess that means you had nothing to do with it."

"Nope. Piper tied it." At that, my mom and Paul, who had been standing off to the side, watching our little debate with vested interest, started laughing. Both at the same time.

"I will never understand you two," my mom told me as I hugged her and then Paul.

When we finished our hellos, Annabeth was holding the graduation cap. She plopped it on my head before I could react. I scowled at her playfully. She just smiled back innocently.

An announcement was made for all graduates to assemble for the ceremony, and I groaned inwardly. I was excited to graduate, sure. I just wasn't a fan of all the absurd traditions that went along with it. Why couldn't they just mail me the diploma and be done with it all?

But my mom would never let me live it down if I didn't go to my graduation, and for the record, neither would Annabeth. She was the only reason I'd put up with four years of college in the first place. Without her, I would have been lucky to just make it through High School.

Annabeth picked up the gown and held it up for me to put on. I made a face, but conceded to her wishes nonetheless. I'd learned things were easier that way. Still, I didn't understand the point of the cap and gown. I mean, yeah, they were symbolic and all, but what was the point in making us all dress up nicely, if no one saw what we wore anyway? I would have been much happier to graduate in a T-shirt and jeans, and no one would even have known the difference. Unfortunately, that wasn't how it worked, so I was forced to put up with the itchy dress shirt, the annoying tie, and the uncomfortable dress shoes, all for it to be covered up by the gown during the ceremony anyway.

Everyone else was dressed up too, so I guess that made it a little better. Annabeth wore a skirt and a blouse, even though I knew she despised them as much, or probably even more, than I hated my nice clothes, but that was just about the only consolation I got under the circumstances. That, and the way she looked at me, like she had never been so proud of anyone else for anything before.

Hands down, I was married to the most beautiful woman in the world. I'd seen goddesses and immortals known exclusively for their beauty, but there was no contest. Annabeth was prettier then all of them, even Aphrodite, though the goddess of love would blast me to bits if I ever said it aloud.

Her gray eyes shone with pride and happiness directed solely at me, a look I'd really only seen her wear a handful of times since I'd first met her, but I swear it was more beautiful now than ever before.

I grinned at her one more time and was about to head in the direction all the other people in graduation garb were walking. "Do you know where you're going?" Annabeth asked me.

I shrugged, "Not really," I replied, "but everyone else seems to."

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "I'll go with you," she told me, and turned toward my mom, as if to make sure she'd heard. My mom nodded, smiling, and told us to go. She'd save Annabeth's seat.

We turned and started walking, following everyone else. I grabbed Annabeth's hand. "So how do _you_ know how to tie a tie?" I asked, because I really was curious.

She laughed, "Because I know things, Seaweed Brain." I smiled and chuckled, still waiting for an answer. "When I was younger," she said, "My dad used to wear a tie to work every day. I figured out how to do it from watching him."

"Of course you did," I replied with a smile. She looked at me and playfully raised an eyebrow. I just smiled wider and shook my head.

We arrived at the place where the graduates were gathering before the ceremony and stopped a few feet away. Annabeth turned to face me. "I'm proud of you, Percy."

"I'm here right now because of you," I told her lovingly, honestly.

"So am I," she replied, and I knew she meant more than just simply being at the graduation. A second later, she added, "You do know that you had an unfair advantage over everyone else studying Marine Science, being a son of Poseidon and all, right?"

I shrugged. "Well everyone else studying Marine Biology had the unfair advantage of not being dyslexic demigods with ADHD, so it evens out," I told her smoothly. She opened her mouth to protest, but I leaned in and kissed her quickly. "I love you," I told her when we pulled apart.

"I love you too. Try not to trip on your gown."

"Gee, thanks." She just smiled, and I walked over to join the few hundred others dressed identically to me.

The ceremony began, but I paid no attention to almost all of it. The opening commentaries were made and a few boring speeches were given. I lost interest quickly.

I scanned the crowd of people sitting in the chairs before us. I found Annabeth and my parents pretty quickly. My mom was tearing up, and her pride seemed to radiate off her. Paul grinned at me and gave me a thumbs-up.

Annabeth gave me a dazzling smile, the kind she gave only to me, and it made my heart skip a beat. _Gods,_ I loved this girl. She was just so beautiful and way too good for me. We'd been married for almost six months now, and I still had trouble believing that it was all real and not just some totally amazing dream that I would wake up from any second now.

I smiled back at my family, letting it linger a little longer for Annabeth. I let my eyes wander, scanning the other faces in the room. I wasn't really sure why, but I was a hyperactive demigod with an attention problem and I was _bored._ I scanned the rows of chairs, not finding any familiar faces, which wasn't surprising. That is, until I saw someone standing in the back, near the doors, leaning casually against the far wall. Even as far away as he was, I recognized him immediately. He had dark hair (like me), tanned skin (even in December), and piercing sea-green eyes (also like me). He wore cargo pants and a jacket, but I was willing to bet that underneath, was a loud Hawaiian shirt that belonged anywhere but New York in the middle of the winter.

He noticed me looking and grinned back. I wasn't sure why he was there, but Poseidon had always been a little better at the whole parenting thing than the other Olympians, not that that was saying much (at all), so I couldn't really say I was surprised to see him there either.

I must have zoned out for a while after that (ADHD does that sometimes), because, next thing I know, my name is being called. I stood up and glanced at my dad one more time, suddenly nervous. If ever there was such a time for me to mess up and make a complete fool of myself, now was definitely not it. _Help me, Dad,_ I silently prayed, _Don't let me screw this up. _My dad smiled and nodded, and I knew he'd heard me. I'd never actually seen a god answer a prayer before, and it was kind of weird, since my dad could seem so, well, _normal_ most of the time, but I felt better nonetheless.

I made my way across the stage, got my diploma, shook hands with the guy, thanked him, and walked off. That was it. It was done. I took my seat again, and it registered that I was smiling widely, and had been since I'd been up in front of everyone. _Thanks, Dad,_ I thought. Poseidon smiled widely at me and nodded again, and when I looked back a second later, he was gone.

Before I knew it, the ceremony was over, and I was walking to meet back up with my family. They saw me and began walking to meet me. Annabeth reached me first. She was smiling gorgeously and her whole face shown with pride and joy that I hadn't seen since our wedding day. She kissed me on the cheek and then snatched the diploma out of my hand and began examining it.

My mom hugged me tightly, congratulating me and voicing her pride over and over again. Paul, who had been scrutinizing the diploma with Annabeth, looked up and smiled. He shook my hand, "Congratulations, Perce," he told me, and I knew he was truly impressed. He'd been my high school English teacher. He knew exactly how much I'd struggled with school, and how much extra effort I'd been forced to put in. Now, granted, I had gone for a degree in Marine Science, so most of it had been a piece of cake, but still…

"Thanks, Paul," I replied with a smile.

After that, my parents decided they were going to head out. We were all going out to a local restaurant after, and they'd meet us there. Annabeth and I said goodbye, and then went to go turn in the cap and gown.

Not a minute after the obnoxious getup was off and turned in, my tie was loosened, my collar unbuttoned, and my sleeves rolled up. Annabeth looked at me with raised eyebrows and chuckled, shaking her head. I just grinned back and put my jacket on.

When we got outside, snow was starting to fall lightly, leaving a thin film on the parked cars. When we got to our own parked car, I opened Annabeth's door for her before climbing behind the wheel. On the dashboard, sat a folded blue piece of paper, the kind I'd seen only once before, and on the front, in strong but elegant handwriting, was my first name. I picked it up and examined it.

"What is that?" Annabeth asked, watching me curiously.

"A note from Poseidon," I answered, my mind faraway, "He was here earlier, during the ceremony. I saw him."

I carefully unfolded the page, preparing myself for whatever it could say. The last time my dad had written me a note, it had contained only two words and had warned of a coming turn of events that could change the course of the entire Great Prophecy.

Thankfully, this wasn't that kind of note. It read:

_Percy-_

_Marine Science, huh? Well I quite obviously approve._

_Congratulations and well done. You were always destined for greatness, and it seems you have achieved just that. Well done, my boy. I am proud of you._

_ Best of Luck, _

_Dad_

I blinked a few times and turned to Annabeth, handing the blue paper to her. She read the note with wide eyes, and met my eyes again, a smile gracing her features. She didn't say anything at first, instead placing the paper down and turning to wrap her arms around my neck.

"Well," she said at last, "Your dad's not the only one who's proud of you." She rested her forehead against mine, lips inches from mine.

"Yeah. Mom did seem pretty proud too, huh?" I joked and kissed her before she could glare at me. She didn't protest.

"I'm proud of you, Percy," she murmured when we pulled apart.

"It's all because of you."

She loosened her grip around my neck and leaned back to look me in the eyes, looking jokingly annoyed. "Give yourself a little credit, Seaweed Brain. I didn't take the classes for you," she said, and kissed me again quickly but meaningfully, before pulling away again. "We really should get going. Your parents are waiting for us."

I smirked and nodded, pecking her lips one last time, before shifting into gear and pulling out.

It felt good to be finished with school, to have the diploma in hand. Now, I could move on, get a real job, and take on the full responsibilities that went along with being the good husband I was determined to be. Years ago, I'd have been happy to simply make it to my senior year. I never would have thought I'd make it, not only through high school, but through college too, and _do well_ on top of it all. Of course, I'd never imagined I'd ever be lucky enough to marry someone as amazing as Annabeth Chase either, but my life had never exactly gone "according to plan," and I'd never expected most of the things that went on in it. I had stopped being surprised a long time ago.

I didn't know what would happen from here or where life would lead us, but I was determined to enjoy as much of it as possible, no matter what happened, and it seemed we were off to a pretty good start. Annabeth and I had been married six months now, and things finally seemed normal. After so many years of training, and fighting, and questing, we were finally done with all of that. We were living our lives more normally than we'd ever been able to before.

Things would still happen, we were still demigods after all (the gods would probably never completely leave us alone), but we would make the best of it. We had made it past the hardest parts together, and that wasn't about to change.

* * *

Later that night, after we got home, Annabeth showed me just how proud she was of me… by spending half an hour showing me how to tie a tie.

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**Good? bad? Let me know!**

**Also, I have a question for you all. Would you guys totally hate me if I made something really bad happen to Percy and Annabeth? They would get through it and everything, obviously, but this story is supposed to be about the ups and downs of life together, and so far, it's all been just peachy. I don't want to elaborate further, because it would ruin it, but a lot of you have been reviewing and guessing that something bad is going to happen soon, and I don't want my writing to be unrealistic. I've been thinking of something horrible that could happen to them in the near future, but I don't want you guys to kill me. :P Let me know your thoughts, because I'm writing this for you guys! Thanks a lot! :)**

**Hope you liked chapter 12. Thanks for reading!**


	13. My Elysium

**Alright guys, this chapter is ridiculously short, like 789 words short, and I'm sorry about that. It's almost not worth posting because it's so short, but the stuff in here is important information, so I decided "what the heck?"**

**This chapter is a filler chapter. No real plot. Nothing really happens, just an overview of events to pass the time a little bit so I can get into the real stuff, which will be next chapter. Chapter 14 is started already and should be finished soon, so you can expect that either tonight or early tomorrow. It will be way longer than this, I promise! **

**Thank you all for the overwhelming amount of feedback I got on last chapter. I'm SO glad you all liked it (and this entire story) so much! And thankfully, for the most part, we're all on the same page about some struggles being brought upon Percy and Annabeth in future chapters! Thank you for that! And, just so you all know, Percy and Annabeth's marriage/relationship will not be affected during that. For example: there will be no cheating, divorce, etc... though fighting between them here and there is not omitted. So you guys can rest assured, Percabeth (for lack of a better term) is safe. They're perfect, and who am I to change that? :)**

**Happy New Year, everyone!**

**Disclaimer: All rights to PJO/HoO belong to Rick Riordan, not me... obviously. :)**

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The holidays came and went, as they always did, way too quickly. Our first Christmas was small, just the two of us, and my mom and Paul came over later for dinner. On New Year's Eve, Jason and Piper, who had recently gotten engaged, came over to celebrate with us. I kissed Annabeth at midnight, ringing in the New Year the best way we knew how.

Two months later, Grover and Juniper had a beautiful baby girl, whom they named Jade, and I swear I'd never seen the satyr that happy in all the time I'd known him, which was really saying a lot.

I was able to find a job pretty quickly, working for a local marine organization/aquarium that rescued and cared for injured sea creatures and was working on cleaning up the rivers and oceans in and around Manhattan. No surprise, I was very good at what I did and had a "gift with the animals," as my superiors put it. I was promoted within a month, though I may or may not have used a few of the Son of Poseidon tricks up my sleeve to get there. Regardless, I enjoyed the job and was good at it (imagine that).

As the months went by, Annabeth and I finally settled in to a more permanent routine. We unpacked the last of the boxes, had two sources of steady income, and were happily married and _together_.

They say the first year of a marriage is the hardest, but I'd beg to differ on that point. Maybe it was because we'd been through so much together already, or because (according to our friends) we'd acted like an old married couple as teenagers, but Annabeth and I had very little trouble during the first year (and even less after that). Then again, those statistics were most likely based on normal, mortal couples, and that definitely didn't apply to us, being as we were about as far from normal as they come.

We were busy. Both of us had full-time jobs and the stresses of everyday life to juggle. It was not always easy (nothing for us had ever been), but every morning before she left, I made sure I kissed her goodbye, and when I came home at night, the first thing I did was kiss her hello. I made sure I told her I loved her every day and every night, and as many times as possible in between, because I had almost lost her before, more times than I'd like to remember, and she had almost lost me too. We were grown up, yes, but we were still demigods, and life for us would always be dangerous. Things may have calmed down a bit since we were teenagers, but we would never be _normal, _and there was still the very good possibility that something could happen at any time, to either one of us. So I was going to make sure she knew, above all else, that I loved her, that she was mine and I was hers, that we were together, and I was never going to let her go; and I was going to make sure that I told her every day, whether I knew she knew it or not.

I had learned over the years never to take anything for granted, and Annabeth was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I was going to treasure every second I was lucky enough to have with her. I was _not_ going to take her for granted, no matter what else happened. I would lay down my life for her if need be, and that was that.

For our one-year anniversary, Annabeth and I spent the weekend at Montauk, alone and without a care in the world. As far as I was concerned, it was heaven on earth, like Paris all over again. Maybe even better.

I was completely certain that no matter where I ended up when I died, it would all be horrible if Annabeth wasn't with me. She was my Elysium, my heaven on earth. It didn't matter what happened; I could end up in the fields of punishment, and if she was with me, it would be just as good as the Isles of the Blest. We'd been through Tartarus, literally the worst place anyone could ever be, and it had been one-hundred percent awful, but it also really hadn't been that bad, because she had been with me, and that alone, especially after eight months apart, had made it all worthwhile.

Yeah it was cheesy, and love struck, and probably sounded pretty stupid, but it was completely, irrevocably, one-hundred percent _true._

And I knew she felt the same way.

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**I know, I know, It's SO SHORT! I'm sorry!**

**But hopefully you liked it anyway, even though there wasn't really much going on!**

**Next chapter VERY soon! You'll like it, I promise. :) Thanks for reading!**


	14. Surprises and Seaweed Brains

**Here's chapter 14! Two updates within a few hours! I think that's a record, guys! **

**Anyway, here it is! Hopefully it makes up for the lack of, well, anything last chapter! It's the one I know a lot of you have been waiting for! :D**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Percy Jackson, or Annabeth Chase, or anyone else. Thank you and have a good night!**

* * *

I unlocked the door to our apartment and walked in, leaving my bag and shoes by the door. It was a Wednesday, August fourteenth, four days before my twenty-third birthday (not that I was counting or anything).

I walked into the living room, then into the kitchen, in search of my wife. She usually got home from work about an hour before me, and always called to let me know when she wasn't. Dinner was almost always started by the time I got home.

This time though, the kitchen was empty, which was strange. Annabeth was a daughter of Athena, meaning she did have a bit of a schedule she enforced for certain things. Dinner was one of those things. She always had it ready and on the table by 6:30. It was almost 6 now, and the food wasn't even started yet.

"Hey, Annabeth," I called, "I'm home."

A second later, I heard, "Hold on a second, Percy. I'll be right out." It was muffled and came from down the hall, where our bedroom was.

"Alright," I called back and headed into the kitchen to start dinner for her.

Now, yes, I actually could cook. When Sally Jackson is your mom, you tend to pick up on a few things, one of which is your way around a kitchen. Now, don't get me wrong, I was nowhere _near_ as good a cook as she was, but I could hold my own fairly well when necessary.

A few minutes later, I had some chicken seasoned and ready to be sautéed, but I was starting to worry. Annabeth had been in there for a while, and I knew she hadn't been feeling very well that morning. She'd gone to work anyway, of course, and hadn't listened to me when I'd told her to take the day off. I hoped she wasn't paying the price for that now. I set the stove burner on a low enough setting, placed the pan on it, and left to check on Annabeth.

Our bedroom door stood open, but the bathroom door was shut. _Oh no,_ I sighed as I approached. I was about halfway across the room when said door opened, revealing Annabeth. I stopped walking. She didn't _look_ sick, which made me feel a little better. Still, I asked, "Hey, you okay?" Annabeth nodded and smiled slightly. She took a few steps forward, stopping about two feet in front of me.

I studied her, confused and slightly concerned. She was acting kind of strange. Her eyes shone a bit, the way they did when she was excited, but they looked kind of anxious too. I raised an eyebrow questioningly. She stood there for a few seconds longer.

Finally, she took a deep breath and looked at me. "Percy…" she began carefully, "I'm pregnant."

I caught my breath. "Really?" I breathed, in utter shock, hardly registering the huge, stupid smile spreading across my face.

Annabeth smiled and nodded, holding up four white sticks, but I didn't grasp what they were right away. "Yeah."

I closed the gap between us, picking her up and spinning her once, before crushing my smiling lips to hers. When we pulled apart, I looked at her, still in my arms. "Really?" I asked again, laughing out of pure joy,

Annabeth's smile was beautiful as she once again nodded and held up the four sticks. This time, it clicked. They were pregnancy tests, four of them, I realized, which was stupidly obvious, but I wasn't quite thinking straight at the moment.

I met her eyes quickly, before removing my arms from around her waist and taking the tests in my hands. All four of them showed two little red lines, all positive.

I was grinning like an idiot, and I couldn't have cared less.

I kissed Annabeth, letting all my excitement and emotion show through. When we separated, Annabeth looked slightly anxious again. "Percy," she whispered, "Are we ready for this?"

I looked at her for a second, before wrapping my arms tightly around her again and pulling her close. I thought about it, and really, I couldn't see much reason why we weren't. We both had pretty decent jobs that paid fairly well. We had surprisingly little debt, considering we'd both been in college less than two years ago, and we lived in an apartment with two extra bedrooms, one of which was currently an office, but still. Not to mention, we'd already agreed long ago that we wanted a family at some point. So what if it was a bit sooner than later?

I kissed Annabeth's hair and tightened my grip around her. "Yeah," I told her gently, "Yeah, I think we are." She seemed to relax a bit after that, but burrowed into my chest for a minute longer before sighing and pulling away.

"I'm gonna be a mom," she murmured quietly, mind faraway. She wore a small smile on her face though and looked less nervous than she had minutes before.

I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her forehead gently. "You're going to be a great mom," I told her honestly, pouring every ounce of love and adoration into my words.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me one more time. "I love you, Percy."

"I love you too. So, so much."

When she let go, she looked excited. Her smile was dazzling.

I was in awe, still totally stunned. "I'm gonna be a dad," I muttered, mostly to myself, trying to make my brain comprehend the foreign concept.

Annabeth smiled at me. I glanced down at her stomach. It was as flat as ever, not even close to showing evidence of the growing baby inside. "A legacy of Athena and Poseidon," Annabeth mused, obviously over her initial fears. "He or she will be a living contradiction." She sat down on the foot of our bed.

I smirked, shrugging, and joined her. "There's a first time for everything." Annabeth looked at me like she was going to smack me, but, surprisingly, she didn't, resorting to simply shaking her head instead.

I smiled wider, before focusing in on her. "How long have you known?" I asked her.

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "About five minutes longer than you, Seaweed Brain," she answered with a smile.

I mock glared at her. "_I meant_," I began dramatically, and took her hand. "You obviously had an idea before that. You went out and bought the tests."

She nodded, looking at the floor, before turning her gaze to meet mine. "I first thought I might be a little over a week ago. I was over a month late, and then I got sick the last few mornings…" I nodded. I'd only known about that morning, but Annabeth wasn't really one to complain, so I couldn't say I was surprised.

I thought for a second. I wasn't really sure where we were supposed to go from here. I had no idea how pregnancies worked, or how to care for a baby, especially a legacy, but knowing Annabeth, she knew what she was doing, even if she didn't think so herself. And we could always ask my mom-my mom, who was going to flip out when she heard the news. Thinking about it brought another smile to my face.

"What?" Annabeth asked, noticing my expression.

I shook my head. "Nothing," I told her. "So what do we do now?"

Annabeth looked uncertain, which I knew she hated. She sighed, staring at the floor again. "I don't know. I guess I have to make a doctor's appointment." Her eyes met mine, and I could see all the worry back was back again."

"Hey," I murmured, putting my arm around her and pulling her close, "We'll figure it out, like we always do. We're in this together."

She sighed, "I just have no idea what I'm doing, Percy," she whispered helplessly. She glanced down at her stomach and placed her hand on it, staring down doubtfully. "My decisions don't just affect me anymore," she whispered, her voice cracking on the last word, and I pulled her closer instinctively. It was the hormones. It must have been. Annabeth didn't cry; that much I knew. I'd known her for eleven years now, and I'd seen her cry only a handful of times, and at least half of those times had been while we were down in the pits of hell, so they didn't really count. "Gods, what is wrong with me?" she muttered, irritated.

I smiled slightly for a second and kissed her hair. "It'll be fine," I reassured her. "You know how I know this?" I asked, not waiting for an answer, "Because I married Annabeth Chase, and she's absolutely amazing. She's saved camp, the gods, the world, and my sorry butt a whole lot of times. She's defied all the odds and did something no child of Athena has ever done before; she's united two enemy camps; she's fought monsters, and Titans, and Giants, and Mother Earth herself; and she's been to Tartarus and back. She's put up with _me_ all those years. She's smart, and beautiful, and _caring_, and she'll make one _heck_ of a mom. I know she will," I finished all that with a slight smile grazing my lips. All of it was ture, and I meant every word.

Annabeth was quiet for a minute. Finally, she met my eyes and said, "You were wrong about one thing there, Seaweed Brain."

"What's that?" I asked.

"My last name's _Jackson_." My smile widened and I leaned in to kiss her. She pulled away quicker than I'd expected, with a concerned look on her face. "Percy," she asked, in a voice to match her expression, "What's burning?"

My eyes widened, and I suddenly remembered the chicken I'd left on the stove, what, half an hour ago?"

"Vlacas!" I cursed and took off down the hall and to the kitchen, Annabeth right behind me.

"Seaweed Brain!"

* * *

The good news: the incident got Annabeth out of her head. The bad news: the chicken was ruined.

But, then again, we got to order pizza, so maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

I still couldn't believe it. Annabeth was pregnant. We were going to be parents. I was excited and, I'll admit, a bit worried, but I knew we'd be fine. We'd come so far already and gotten past every obstacle ever placed in our way. We'd get through this too, and, no matter what happened, I knew the end result would be worth it all.

Granted, Annabeth and I hadn't exactly grown up with the best of family situations, but that simply gave us all the more reason to be the best parents we could be. We'd make up for what we'd missed out on as children. I was going to be there for my son or daughter, and I was going to protect him or her with my life. I wasn't about to take no for an answer, and I knew Annabeth wasn't either.

Besides, if normal, mortal, everyday people could do it, why on earth couldn't we?

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**See? :)**

**Let me know what you thought!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	15. Almost Normal

**Hey everyone! My gift to you: Chapter 15! Fast update, you're welcome!**

**School starts up again on Monday :( (Winter Break is officially over), and updates will happen less frequently, so I'm trying to get as many up as I can. I'll try to get one more to you before then. Starting next week, updates will go back to happening as often as they were before, so around once a week, maybe twice, if I'm not too busy, but Midterms are coming up, so no guarantees. :/**

**Thank you to all you reviewers! You are my favorite people :D Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: All Rights to PJO belong to Rick Riordan!**

* * *

Annabeth and I walked to the car hand-in-hand. Today had been her first doctor's appointment and both she and the baby had gotten a clean bill of health. We'd seen the baby, heard the heartbeat, and had gotten one of those little black and white ultrasound pictures to take home for proof. It was too early to tell whether it was a boy or a girl, but I couldn't have been happier nonetheless.

We were going to be having lunch with my mom and Paul, during which, we planned to tell them the big news. I sat behind the wheel, Annabeth beside me, and pulled out my phone, glancing at her smiling face, before dialing the familiar number. I placed the call on speakerphone and pulled out of the parking lot.

Demigods, especially powerful ones, were supposed to steer clear of using technology, because it alerted every monster around of where we were, and that was never a good thing. About two years after the Giant War, however, the Hephaestus cabin and a few Athena campers discovered a way to monster-proof cell phones and internet connections so we could safely use them without attracting unnecessary monstrous activity. Now, yes, it would have helped _hugely_ to have known this years earlier, like, maybe before the Titan War, but better late than never, I guess. I didn't really know how it worked, and I didn't really care to. All I did know was that now, our cell phones were lined with Celestial Bronze, which made them much heavier than normal phones, but safe otherwise. The calls bounced off of so many different cell towers a second that they couldn't be tracked by monsters (or by humans, for that matter), allowing us to safely communicate without the risks we'd had to worry about before.

My mom picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mom," I replied, "We're heading over now."

"Okay, Percy. See you in a few minutes."

"Aright. Bye."

"Bye." Annabeth ended the call for me.

I stopped at a red light and glanced at her. She didn't look much different than she had before she'd gotten pregnant. Her curly hair was in a ponytail and she looked beautiful, as always, even in the mid-August heat. She paid me no attention, immersed in one of the many pamphlets she'd taken from the doctor's office on the way out. The day before, she'd bought a stack of fairly large books on her way home from work, all about pregnancy and parenting, and everything in between. I was certain she would be an expert before she even began showing.

The light turned green and we continued driving. We didn't bother with conversation. Every few minutes, Annabeth would voice a fact or two, reading them out of the booklet. I listened, trying to retain as much of the information as possible, but I spent most of the ride lost in thought.

I still hadn't completely wrapped my mind around it. Annabeth was pregnant. A child was growing inside her; _our_ child. We were going to be _parents. _I mean, we'd been in plenty of new, unpredictable situations before, but this was completely unchartered territory for us. It was completely amazing; in every sense of the word, but it was also one of the scariest things I'd ever experienced.

It was strange, really, considering everything Annabeth and I had been through and done, that I would be so caught up in something so completely _normal,_ but maybe that was just it. We were demigods. Nothing about us was, or ever had been, _normal_. Abnormal, abstract, atypical; those were words that described our lives, what we'd grown accustomed to, whether we'd wanted to or not. For us, "normal" had never been normal because "normal" had never actually existed. Except now it almost did, and that was probably the scariest part, because we had no idea what that actually meant. Now, we were experiencing something that regular, everyday people experienced, and it was terrifying.

But, at the same time, I had never wanted something so badly in my entire life.

When we got to my parents' apartment building, I pulled in and parked the car, without even thinking about it. I turned off the engine and got out, meeting Annabeth on the other side. I grabbed her hand and we made our way inside. The doorman recognized us immediately and smiled in greeting. We were allowed up easily.

I knocked on the door and we waited. "You ready?" Annabeth asked me quietly, squeezing my hand.

I smiled and nodded. "My mom's going to flip out."

Annabeth laughed quietly and nodded. "Probably."

A few seconds later, my mom answered the door and she and Paul hugged the both of us, explaining that lunch would be ready in fifteen minutes.

"That's okay," Annabeth told them once we were in the living room, "We actually wanted to talk to you for a second first." My mom and Paul exchanged glances, looking confused, but complied.

"Alright," my mom said slowly, as she and Paul sat down in the living room. Both looked between the two of us questioningly as we sat down across from them.

"So," I began, "We have a question to ask you."

"And what is that?" Paul asked, eyeing me.

I snuck a glance at Annabeth, who looked slightly amused, and then back at my parents. "What do you think about becoming grandparents?" I asked them, trying with all I had, to maintain a poker face.

It seemed to click for Paul first. His eyes widened slightly and he smiled broadly at Annabeth and me. I couldn't help but smile in return.

My mom's reaction was priceless.

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped simultaneously. She shot to her feet, looking from me, to Annabeth's face, then to her stomach, back to her face, back to her stomach, to her face again, then to mine again, back to Annabeth's, and then her gaze finally fixed, somehow, on the both of us. "Really?!" she cried.

Annabeth, who was smiling hugely by this point too, nodded. "Eight weeks," she declared.

"Oh my gods!" my mom cried in sheer joy, her eyes filling. "Oh, I'm so happy for you two!" She hugged the two of us, hard, and I couldn't help laughing. Finally, she focused on Annabeth, well, Annabeth's _stomach_, and settled on rubbing circles on it. Paul hugged me in congratulation, still smiling widely. "I'm going to be a grandma!" my mom said quietly, as if to herself, and then she froze. "Ugh, I feel old!" she complained. Everyone laughed at that.

Paul took that as his cue to give Annabeth a hug. Over the years, he had become as much of a father to Annabeth as he had to me and it was obvious that he was just as excited as the rest of us for this baby. I recognized the familiar sparkle in his eye that he got when he was thrilled.

We sat down for lunch and my mom served everyone, like she always did. When she got to Annabeth, she set down in front of her a plate so full of food; it was probably enough to feed three full-grown men, or Tyson. Annabeth blinked, staring down at the plate in front of her for a second, before slowly looking up at my mom with a raised eyebrow. "You're eating for two now," my mom told her simply, and continued on with distributing food. Annabeth looked back at her plate again, picked up a spoon, and put over half of the food back on the platter in the center of the table. My mom gave her the evil eye, but resigned to shaking her head with a small smirk. To her, Annabeth was her daughter as much as I was her son, and she knew better than to argue with her. The daughter of Athena wouldn't listen anyway.

Paul and I just looked at each other and laughed.

We stuck around for about another two hours, before Annabeth and I had to leave. My mom and Paul walked us to the door and said goodbye.

When my mom finished hugging me, she cupped my cheek with her hand. She sighed lightheartedly. "My little boy's all grown up," she stated softly, for my ears only. I smiled.

"Love you, mom," I told her and kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you too, Percy."

And with that, I grabbed Annabeth's hand and we walked out the door, calling one last "Bye!" over our shoulders on the way out.

* * *

Later that night, we called Frederick and Theresa Chase and told them the news. They were excited, though nothing compared to my mom's reaction. Bobby and Matthew, Annabeth's now-fourteen year old twin brothers, seemed to find the idea of having a niece or a nephew pretty cool.

* * *

That night, lying in bed, with Annabeth curled up beside me, I realized something. Maybe things were different now; less chaotic, less unpredictable, _definitely_ less dangerous, and, even though it was still strange and would take some more getting used to, it wasn't a bad thing. Not by any means. All I'd wanted for years was a little peace, to be able to settle down and live life the way I wanted, without all the Greek-Mythology-That-Wasn't-_Just_-Mythology getting in the way. I had that now; that and so much more, and I really couldn't have asked for anything better.

I was alive (no easy feat, really).

I had Annabeth.

And now we were going to have a baby.

What more could I really have asked for?

I didn't know how long it would last or what would happen in the future, but right now, I knew I was happy, and so was Annabeth. I knew we finally had some peace and we were finally able to focus on other things than risking our lives for the sake of the world every other ten minutes. I knew that, right now, that was all I cared about.

Right now, I didn't care what the future held, or what tomorrow would bring (other than my son or daughter). I was enjoying the here and now, and I was enjoying the ability to finally be able to do that.

Right now, I was enjoying just being almost normal.

* * *

**What'd ya think? **

**Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it! Leave a review and let me know! Please?**

**Until next time! :)**


	16. Gone

**Here's Chapter 16!**

**Before you read, there were some technical difficulties last chapter, so hopefully you all saw it and read it and everything was okay with it. If not, be sure to go read chapter 15 before you read this chapter.**

**You guys are going to hate me so much, because this chapter is a heart breaker and will probably make you kind of sad (fair warning). I almost didn't post it... but this story needs to have some struggles, as well as happy parts, because life is not always peaches and honey. Plus, good writers apparently build up their readers' hopes and feels and then tear them down horribly (*cough cough* Rick Riordan). It apparently makes for a better story... Sorry.**

_**ALSO: VERY IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ! I kind of let my writing skills a little loose with this chapter, and there's one part in here that kind of gets a little descriptive, a little on the rated T side. Since this story is a K+ and I don't want to change the overall rating, I marked the one part I'm talking about, so you can skip it if you want. It doesn't affect the chapter if you don't read it. It's not too bad since I'm pretty sure there are no 5 year olds reading this story, but I'm a rule follower, so I figured better safe than sorry!**_

**Anyway, to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan and do not own these characters.**

* * *

About a month went by, and the shock was slowly wearing off. It was finally becoming real that in less than eight months, we would have a new little Jackson to take care of. We still had almost two more months to go before we could find out if it was a boy or a girl, and I was dying to know, but I didn't really care either way, although a boy would be really awesome…

We hadn't told anyone of the pregnancy, other than immediate family. Our godly parents didn't even know yet. Well, actually, they probably _did_, they just didn't hear it from us. No one else knew. Not yet. We had planned to tell them at the annual celebration held between the camps, which had been scheduled to take place on the last weekend of August, the weekend after my birthday. It was supposed to take place at Camp Jupiter this year, and everyone had been prepared to make the trip, until a few dozen monsters had been summoned into the camp by an unknown traitor (probably Octavian) and had caused some pretty significant damage. The Legion had been able to defeat the beasts, but not before they trampled the camp underfoot and destroyed most of New Rome. The good news: There had been few casualties and no fatalities. The bad news: Camp Jupiter was left pretty much in ruins. The Romans were fast builders, and Camp Half-Blood had sent large numbers of extra hands to help, but even with the Greeks, they wouldn't have been able to have the camp ready in time for the celebration.

After it had been determined that Camp Jupiter wouldn't be ready in time, Chiron had invited the Romans back to Camp Half-Blood for the second year in a row. It was last minute and far from ideal, but it was better than nothing, and the Romans agreed. So the day of the celebration had ended up being set back a month to give everyone time to get from California to New York.

All that to say this: We'd been planning on telling everyone on the last weekend of August, and now wouldn't be able to until the last week of September, which was still about a week and a half out. So none of our camp friends knew yet, and an early trip to Camp Half-Blood wouldn't have been worth it, because no one would have been there anyway.

Other than that minor obstacle, everything else had been going extremely well, and that probably should have been the first sign that something was about to go very, _very _wrong.

* * *

I rolled over in the middle of the night, in that only half-functioning state of someone who's not quite awake, but not fully asleep either. I'd been having a dream, which was not unusual for me, being as I was a demigod and had survived Tartarus. What was unusual was what the dream was about.

It was rare for me to have dreams that weren't nightmares, even before Annabeth and my little trip through Hell itself, The amount of nightmares I had had been decreasing steadily over the years since the Giant War, and now, I could usually go three or four days without a horrible nightmare.

But that was the thing. They were all nightmares. This one wasn't. It was, well, a flashback, I guess. In the dream, I was thirteen again, standing in the stables at Camp Half-Blood. Hermes had just given me the letter from my father the night before the chariot races.

_"I stared at the blue envelope in my hands. It was addressed in strong but elegant handwriting that I'd seen once before, on a package Poseidon had sent me last summer._

_Percy Jackson_

_C/o Camp Half-Blood_

_Farm Road 3.141_

_Long Island, New York 11954_

_…_

_I opened the envelope and unfolded the paper._

_Two simple words were printed in the middle of the page:_

**_'Brace Yourself'_**_"_

That was it. After that, I woke up, though I wasn't sure whether it was the dream that woke me, or the light streaming through the cracked door of the bathroom, but I was pretty sure it was the former, because according to, well, everyone, I was one heck of a heavy sleeper. I hadn't necessarily believed that, until my mom had started banging pans together next to my ear to get me up for school in the morning. That kind of convinced me.

Anyway, I, in my half-conscious state of mind, didn't notice the light right away and simply rolled over. What woke me up further was realizing that I was alone in bed. Annabeth wasn't next to me. _That's_ when I opened my eyes and sat up, looking around and noticing the bathroom light. I didn't think anything of it at first because, well, I hadn't quite reached complete consciousness yet, but eventually I realized that she had been gone a pretty long time, and, yeah, I should probably go check on her. The thought of something being wrong with Annabeth, well, that broke me out of my fog, and I was suddenly alert.

I got out of bed and made my way through the dark to the doorway. "Annabeth?" I called quietly as I slowly pushed open the door. The bright light of the bathroom temporarily blinded my not yet adjusted eyes, and when my vision cleared, the scene before me was not what I'd expected.

There sat my wife, on the floor, leaning back against the bathtub and hugging her knees to her chest. She looked upset and strangely heartbroken, staring at the tile below her. I was immediately concerned and confused.

"Annabeth?" I called again, walking the few steps across the small bathroom and squatting down before her, "You okay?" She met my eyes, and the grief in them was obvious. I cupped her cheek with my hand. "Annabeth, what's wrong?" I asked, more forceful now, my fear showing through.

"Percy," she said in barely a whisper. Her eyes were filling with tears.

"Baby, please tell me what's wrong," I begged.

"Percy…" she repeated, "I'm bleeding." She said the last words so softly and so brokenly, I could barely understand them.

"You're bl-" I didn't need to finish that question. I knew. My heart sank so fast, it may as well have landed in my stomach. "Oh, Honey," I practically whimpered, and wrapped my arms around her, holding her desperately close.

Annabeth curled into me and began to sob, something I'd never seen her do, not even in Tartarus. Her tears soaked through my thin T-shirt, and I just held her closer, allowing no space in between. I had no words and no actions. Nothing I could do would ever make it better. Annabeth's body shook as she wept into me. I just sank further down onto the bathroom floor, until I was sitting. The devastation was overwhelming. I couldn't move or speak. I could barely breathe. I simply sat there, staring, clinging to Annabeth while she clung to me.

* * *

***Here's the part that I mentioned before. Not too bad, it's how the human body works, but a little on the descriptive side. Skip if you want!***

For the first time since I'd entered that bathroom what could have been mere minutes or hours ago, I took my attention off of Annabeth and glanced around the room. On the floor, off to the side, laid the pajama pants Annabeth had worn to bed that night and had obviously shed since then, and covering them, as well as in drops on the floor around and leading away from them was, indeed, blood, and a lot of it.

Annabeth's blood, the evidence of the loss of that baby's life. Seeing it made it all so much worse.

* * *

I allowed the tears to come.

"He's gone," Annabeth cried into my chest, "My baby's gone!" The despair in her voice was heartbreaking, coldly reinforcing the harrowing reality.

"I know, sweetheart," I whispered through my own tears. "I know." Every fiber of my being mourned the loss that was so fresh and painful. The misery of the situation was overwhelming, like we were back in the Cocytus, letting the currents of sorrow carry us away with them.

It was amazing, in the most horrible way possible, how the loss of someone we'd never even met could be so painful; how much I loved that little baby that had never gotten the chance to live, that I'd never gotten the chance to meet, and now never would.

I would have done anything to change what was happening, to change the ending of the story, but deep down, past the parts that wanted to scream, and cry, and go in with sword drawn and demand that the Fates give us our baby back; way deep down, I knew there was nothing I, nor anyone else, could do. The string had been cut. That little life was lost. All of it was gone now. All of the excitement, and joy, and fear that we'd experienced over the course of the last month for that baby was gone. It was all gone now, and the only thing left behind was pain.

Because the Fates were cruel, and that was all there was to it.

The worst part, the part that surpassed all the pain and grief I felt right now, the _worst part_ was knowing that for Annabeth, it was so much worse. The baby had been inside her. She'd experienced every moment of that unborn child's short life, and now she had to experience the aftereffects of our loss. She was the one who had to feel the physical pain, as well as the emotional pain. That was the absolute worst part, and the only thing I could do was sit and watch, unable of changing anything, no matter how hard I wished otherwise.

I wasn't sure how long we sat there, holding each other as if our lives depended on it, which, maybe right then, they did. It was heartrending and absolutely horrible. The last time I'd felt so useless and miserable, I'd been in Tartarus, broken and dying from the weight of hundreds of curses having been brought upon me, and watching Annabeth wander blindly and alone, believing I'd abandoned her.

Eventually, the crying quieted into silent tears, and then nothing at all. We still didn't move. I just held Annabeth close to me.

A small part of my brain knew that I should have expected something like this. Everything had been going too right for too long. Something was bound to break eventually. We were demigods. Our lives were always destined for pain and loss. We'd been stupidly optimistic to believe that we'd reached the end of our struggles. We'd angered too many immortals over the years and had proved a few too many gods wrong, including the goddess of motherhood herself. Of course they wouldn't just let that go, not even after we'd saved the world for them, _twice. _We really shouldn't have been surprised, but we were, and it hurt. A lot.

The dream I'd been having before suddenly made sense. _Brace Yourself…_

Our lives had consisted of losses since the beginning. We'd fought two wars and many battles. We'd seen death in every way possible, but this time, it was different. It was more personal. It hurt more, in a different way. This had been our child. His or her short life had existed solely because of Annabeth and me. We had seen friends and partners die, and we had grieved those losses as such, but now we were the parents. It was so much worse. We'd grown to love that baby so much in so little time, and now, we were being forced to let it all go. We had no say in any of it.

Our child was dead, and there was nothing we could do to fix that.

Eventually, Annabeth stirred beneath my arms, shifting position and resting her cheek against my chest. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, but she had run out of tears, and now just looked exhausted. "I'm staying home with you today," I told her gently. She didn't respond, other than to nod into me. Her response alone was enough to break my heart. Annabeth was a workaholic. She _never_ missed a day and allowed me to even less. But she had just given in; no fight, no resistance, no death glare. She curled further into me and I tightened my arms around her.

"Why does this always happen to us?" She demanded in a voice closer to a whimper than anything else. I just shook my head helplessly. I had no answer. That was how our life was. It wasn't fair; it wasn't fun. It was full of loss, and pain, and devastation, and we had no control over any of it. That's just the way it was.

Annabeth eventually fell asleep, a picture of sorrow and loss in my arms. Staring down at her, I couldn't help but think that as bad as my life had been, hers had been that much worse. She'd never had anyone or anything to count on. She'd constantly faced disappointments and losses greater than even I had. Through all the years we'd known each other, the only one she'd ever consistently had that never left her was… me.

And now she was experiencing it all over again.

Annabeth was strong, a warrior. She hid her feelings and kept her emotions in check, especially around other people. I was the only one in the world that she would ever allow to see her like this, and I took what little comfort I could from that. She had learned to cope with pain on her own. She shut people out and isolated herself from the world, and right now, despite the current terrible circumstances, at least she wasn't doing that to me, because the only way this could possibly have been worse was if she was not curled up in my arms right now. She was my rock as much as I was hers, and she needed me pretty badly right now, but I needed her too. We would get through this, we _had to_, together.

I leaned back against the wall of the tiny bathroom and closed my eyes, letting sleep overtake me. Granted, it would probably bring nightmares, but at least those nightmares would take me away from reality, at least for a while. Sleep would be a refuge until morning, when we'd have to face it all again; yet another awful obstacle along the rocky road that was the life of a demigod.

A life of loss, and of pain, and of hardship.

Our life.

* * *

**I know, you all hate me now, but miscarriage is something that happens to people all the time (yes, that is what happened here, if you didn't figure it out), and Percy and Annabeth are no exception, especially since they're demigods and have Hera on their bad side. Their problems can't always be demigodish. Again, I'm sorry. I know I probably just crushed all your feels, and you probably have no desire to read anymore of this Author's Note, but they will get through this. Stay tuned. I won't make you wait a year to see what happens, I promise!**

**Thanks for reading.**

**Next update soon!**

**Go ahead, leave a review. I'll allow you to yell at me, just this once. :P**


	17. Only Up From Here

**Hiya guys! I know I'm just the person you want to see (or read from, whatever), especially after that plot twist last chapter. Again, I am sorry about that, but you have to admit, it did make for a better story in the long run. Or at least, it will, once I write more of the story... I know most of you absolutely hate my guts right now because of what I did to poor Percy and Annabeth, but, despite how mean this sounds, at the end of the day, it is my story, and I will do what I want. ****_Please leave all formal complaints in the box below._**

**Thank you to all you reviewers from last chapter, even if most of them involved either crying and half-insane yelling, or congratulating applause (which, I guess goes to show you just how many differing opinions there are out there). From most of them, I gathered one thing, and that is: (again, this sounds really horrible) It's actually really kinda fun to crush all your hopes and dreams (and feels). I'll admit, I was laughing pretty hard (evilly) at most of them. Yes, I know, I have no life and I really should work on that, but hey, you guys kept me entertained for, like, 20 minutes. Congratulations. :P**

**ANYWAY, here's chapter 17! (Are you still with me?) I'll admit, I felt a teeny tiny little bit bad about what I did to most of you with last chapter's events (the crying and begging in the reviews may have helped a little too), so I made this chapter extra long just for you! Yup, that's right, this chapter is just 10 words short of 3,000 and took up 7 entire pages of Microsoft Word. And yes, though most of it is still pretty sad, I decided to end it on a happier note, because I wouldn't want any of you to go into a depression or drop dead from an overload of sadness, or anything like that.**

**I must say, I am having quite a bit of fun writing this lengthy author's note. I'm not sure why exactly (back to the part about me having no life), but telling you all my thoughts on last chapter and all your hilarious *Cough Cough* I mean, ****_heart wrenching _****reviews from chapter 16, has been enjoyable.**

**I'll stop now. You're welcome. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: As always, all PJO/HoO rights belong to Rick Riordan.**

* * *

The next few days were terrible. Annabeth was absolutely miserable, both physically and emotionally. Seeing her suffer like that and being unable to do anything about it was one of the hardest things I'd ever experienced. I could go a million lifetimes and never see her like that again, and I would be more than alright with that.

She spent almost a week either curled up on the couch or in bed. The first few days were the hardest. She was soft-spoken and lacking completely in sarcasm, two things that did not normally describe the Annabeth I knew and loved. She was different, and it was heartbreaking. I knew she would get through it, we both would, but that didn't make the experience any less horrible.

When Annabeth was upset, she shut the world out. She always had, and, whether I liked it or not, the only thing I could do was be there for her. I knew it would take time, and she would be much better after the whole process was over and done with, but right now was the worst part, the hardest, and only time could heal the wound left behind.

I was suddenly glad that we hadn't gotten around to telling everyone at camp, because I was already dreading having to tell our parents. Just telling them the bad news would be hard enough. Having to tell at least a dozen others too, well, I didn't even want to think about doing that.

* * *

Ever since she'd first heard the good news, my mom had made it a habit of hers to call every day to check up on Annabeth and the baby. Usually, the report was the same as the day before, but she did it anyway, which normally wasn't like her, but she was a bit excited, to say the least. Plus, she was a mom. It's what they do.

The day following the miscarriage, Annabeth and I had been on the couch in the living room. She had been lying down, curled up dejectedly beside me with her head in my lap, obviously upset and in pain, while I uselessly attempted to comfort her. Her cell phone, which was sitting on the coffee table in front of us, rang. Annabeth grabbed it and read the caller ID, and just stared at it for an extra few seconds, before she looked to me pleadingly. I understood and took the phone, answering it for her, while she laid her head back in my lap.

I took a deep breath. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hi, Percy," my mom replied, sounding a bit confused, considering both Annabeth and I normally would have been at work by now. Thankfully, she wasn't one to pry, and didn't bring it up.

"Hey, Mom," I greeted her, trying not to make my sad state evident in my voice, "How are you?"

"I'm great. Just calling to check in with Annabeth. Is she around?"

"Um, actually," I began, desperately trying to come up with something believable, "I think she's in the bathroom." I hated lying to my mom, so much, but I didn't know what else to do. It's not like I could just tell her that Annabeth was right next to me, lying down and miserable because we had just lost our baby, and that she didn't want to talk to anyone, about it or anything else, at the moment.

"Well, that _would_ make sense, I guess," my mom said humorously.

"Yeah," I replied, hoping my voice didn't sound as dry and upset as I feared it did. I knew it was coming, the dreaded, inevitable question, which would require the dreaded, inevitable answer that I wished, with everything in me, wasn't true.

"So how _is _Annabeth?" My mom asked, "How's the baby?" There it was. I was silent. I couldn't respond. I didn't know what to say and I didn't have the words anyway. "Percy?" My mom asked after a few seconds, "Are you there?"

"Yeah, sorry mom," I managed.

"How's the baby?" she repeated.

I waited another second before I responded. I still had no clue how to tell her. "Mom, um…" I trailed off. My voice cracked on the last syllable, and I was pretty sure she had heard. I was blinking furiously. My words betrayed me.

There was silence on the other end for a ten count, and I knew she had figured it out, even before she responded in a faraway whisper, "Oh, Percy…" and after another second, "When?"

I glanced down at Annabeth, who was staring mournfully straight ahead, obviously listening. A single tear streaked its way across her face. "Last night," I managed.

"Oh, Sweetie…"

"Yeah," I replied helplessly, voice cracking again.

The resulting silence was so thick; I could have sliced through it with a butter knife. "A-Are you home?" my mom asked finally.

"Yeah," I replied, with blurred vision.

"Can I come over?" I glanced down at Annabeth, who simply nodded against my lap, continuing to stare straight ahead, as more tears silently fell. She made no attempt to stop them.

"Yeah," I told my mom, though my voice cracked again, and hung up. Normally, I would have considered that rude, but talking was quickly becoming impossible, and I knew she would understand.

My mom was at our apartment in less than twenty minutes, and I knew she had probably broken every traffic law in New York City to do so. I opened the door, and was immediately enveloped in her embrace. We didn't say anything. We just stood there, in the open doorway. My mom held me tightly, and I hugged her back, trying to keep the tears from coming, though a single one managed to trace its way down my cheek. "I'm so sorry, Percy," she murmured.

I could do nothing but nod as she hugged me for another few seconds. "Thanks for coming, Mom," I managed almost incomprehensibly.

"Of course," she whispered and grabbed my hand in a comforting gesture. "How's Annabeth?" The look on my face must have been enough of an answer, because my mom sighed sadly and changed her question simply to, "Where?"

"In the living room." My mom looked at me for a moment longer, and then made her way into the apartment. I shut the door behind her, stood there for a second longer, and took a deep breath, trying to compose myself, before walking back the way I'd come. When I got to the living room, my mom was already there. She sat, with tears in her eyes, on the couch beside Annabeth and just held her, while she cried quietly onto her shoulder. Sally Jackson was the only true mother Annabeth had ever really had, and the only other person on the planet, beside me, who she would ever allow to see her tears.

I continued walking until I was in the kitchen, and dropped, rather ungracefully, into a chair, resting my head in my hands on top of the table. I took another deep breath, blinking back tears.

I couldn't take this. It was too much. I couldn't stand to see Annabeth like that. Our baby was gone, and now, so was she. I knew this was only temporary, that things would get better, that this was the worst part, but it was so _hard_. I didn't care that things were at their worst right now; that _we_ were at our worst; that this was rock-bottom. I just wanted it all to be over. I wanted my life back; I wanted my Annabeth back; I wanted our _baby_ back, and I would have done _anything_ for that.

Years ago, Annabeth had accused me of running away from my problems, of getting scared and always taking off. I'd denied it, refused to believe it, but now, I wondered if she had been right, as she always was, about it all along, because right now, things were definitely hard, and I really was scared, and I did want to run away, from all of it. I wanted to go back in time and make it all right. I wanted everything to go back to the way it had been a month ago, back when we had been so happy, when it'd seemed like our troubles were over and nothing would ever hold us back again.

If only I had known how wrong I was…

Maybe Annabeth shut everyone out when she was upset, and maybe she resorted to fending for herself to get through things that she believed she was alone in. Maybe she wasn't the only one. She had been right, no surprise. I'd refused to believe it for a long, long time, but my greatest breakthroughs in life had always been during times of struggle. When things got hard, when life turned bad, when I got scared, I ran. I ran far away, unwilling to accept that things weren't necessarily as hunky-dory as I'd so wanted them to be. I ran from things that hurt. I always had. But now, I had nowhere to run, because this wasn't something I could escape so easily from, and besides, I wasn't going anywhere if Annabeth wasn't with me.

* * *

My mom was a lifesaver during those next few days. She had come over all day, every day, and had ended up just staying in our guest room overnight a few times. She had stayed at home with Annabeth when I'd had to go back to work that following Monday. She'd cooked for her, cleaned for her, and was there for her when I was away.

It was a week and a half before Annabeth was well enough to live normally again. The days passed. She was still different… but things seemed to be getting a little better. I'd known time would help, and it did, but it was still the longest week and a half of my life. I'd seen less of her in those ten days, than I had for years, and it was absolutely horrible. I was there to hug her. I was the shoulder for her to cry on. I was even there for her to yell at when she just lost it (and then apologize to later). I was the comfort she needed, just like she was mine, but she wasn't the same, not yet, and I missed her. _So much._

Progress was slow. It would take more time. This was harder for her, and it made sense that it would be, but I was not very good with patience, never really had been, and I was going slightly crazy, longing for my Annabeth back, but I would continue to be there for her when she needed me, and would leave her alone when she didn't.

* * *

The following Friday, almost two weeks since that fateful night, I was in the kitchen, working on some paperwork from earlier that week. Annabeth had gone back to work two days earlier and had stopped today on the way home for groceries and was picking up dinner along the way, so I was home alone.

Over the years, I'd learned to control my dyslexia enough (thank the gods) to be able to read fairly well, but, all things considered, paperwork was _boring._ I loved my job, I really did, but that was one thing I could have done without. However, the celebration at Camp Half-Blood was the following day, so I either did it then, or not at all, and "not at all" wasn't an option.

I put in a solid half hour of work and managed to get a fairly decent amount done. I must have been more engrossed than I'd thought, because I hadn't heard the front door open or Annabeth's shuffling into the kitchen with her arms full of grocery bags. I hadn't noticed anything until familiar arms wrapped around me from behind, scaring me half to death. Now, that wasn't really something that was normal for me, especially after Tartarus, but I'd been determined to be finished with the paperwork, and apparently such determination had led to more productivity than I'd thought myself capable of, especially after the last two weeks I'd had.

Normally, those arms wrapping around me, even unexpectedly, wouldn't have caused no reaction, other than to bring a smile to my face, but I'd been without that type of embrace for two long weeks, and it had apparently been long enough for it to startle me again.

Annabeth obviously noticed when I jumped half out of the seat, though her reaction wasn't what I would have expected, not of lately.

That didn't mean it wasn't wonderful.

_She laughed._ Well, maybe _laugh_ wasn't the right term. _Chuckled_ was more like it. Regardless, she smiled and expressed amusement, something I hadn't seen for way too long. "Bit jumpy there, Seaweed Brain?" she asked me lightly, in a voice that sounded almost like it used to.

"I guess so," I replied in a similar tone, trying to hide my surprise and exhilarating jubilation. Annabeth walked around to the side of my chair.. I hesitantly opened my arms to her, still trying to judge her emotional state, which seemed so different from the day before. She sat herself down on my lap, where she fit perfectly, and leaned into me. We were both quiet for a second.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" she asked quietly, "Us, real conversations…"

I tightened my grip around her slightly and nodded silently. "I miss us," I murmured, and then added, "I miss _you_."

"I miss you too, Percy. A lot."

There was quiet again for a count of ten, before I asked quietly, "Are you okay?" Annabeth didn't respond right away, but rather stood up with a cautious expression and walked across the kitchen. She put away the last remaining bag of groceries (most of which, she must have done so with before she'd alerted me to her presence, though I hadn't noticed). I watched her silently. When she finished a minute later, she leaned against the counter and looked at me.

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she said.

I blinked and stared at her for a second. "For what?" I asked incredulously.

"For shutting you out," she answered quietly, studying the floor.

I stood up and made my way over to where she was standing. I enveloped her in a hug. "You don't have to apologize, Annabeth. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I was a jerk," she stated, somehow both weakly and firmly at the same time.

"You were _upset_, and you had every right to be." I told her this with absolute certainty. I'd given the subject more than a little thought.

"So were you. I was selfish, Percy. You spent the entirety of the last week and a half comforting me, and caring for me, and just being absolutely wonderful, and not once did I even bother to make sure that _you_ were okay. I was so caught up in the whole thing and I didn't even bother to realize that this was as much a loss you as it was to me. I barely even _spoke_ to you, other than to yell at you for nothing at all, and all because of something that you had no control over anyway. And you-" I kissed her, effectively silencing her rant. I realized, slightly mortified, that that was the first time I'd kissed Annabeth since before that awful night, a real kiss, on the lips, and for more than just the sole purpose of comforting her-and myself.

"It's okay," I whispered to her, my forehead resting against hers, our noses touching.

Annabeth just looked at me for a second, with a slightly awed expression. She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me, resting her chin on my shoulder. "I really don't deserve you," she murmured almost unintelligibly.

"That's true," I told her, completely serious, "You deserve much better."

She pulled away from me quickly, looking the most Annabeth-like I'd seen in a while-like she was going to slap me. She didn't. Instead, she cupped my face in her hands and looked me right in the eye. "Don't say that," she told me sternly, "Don't _ever_ say that. Percy, you fell into _Tartarus_ for me. How many other men do you know that would have done that?" Despite myself, I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face-the first in many days. Annabeth pulled her hands away and stared at me. "What?" she demanded.

This time, I took her face in _my_ hands. "It's _really_ good to have you back, Beautiful." I kissed her again. When we pulled apart, Annabeth tried, and failed, to keep the smile from her face, and after two weeks of seeing her so upset and miserable, it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

She shook her head. "I love you, Percy. You know that, right?"

"Of course, and I love you more."

Annabeth shook her head slightly and then turned to pick up the bag on the counter. "C'mon. I didn't go out of my way to buy dinner for us to let it get cold," she said, and handed it to me. I took the food and gave her a grin, the kind I knew she couldn't help but smile back to. She did, along with rolling her eyes.

As we sat down for dinner, I watched Annabeth carefully. She wasn't completely better yet. For anyone else, she probably would have seemed fine, but _I_ could tell. Traces of sadness still lingered here and there, but she was much better. She could smile again, and for now, that was enough for me. The rest would come, in time, but right now, I would happily take what I could get. We would make it through this. The hardest part was past, and it could only go up from here.

It had to.

* * *

**Sooo? That ending was much better than last chapter's at least, right? I figured you guys might have deserved a tiny bit of fluff there at the end to ease the pain of your loss. Good, right?**

**Anyway, stay tuned. Next chapter... whenever I get around to it. (I didn't expect to have this one out this soon, but I felt a bit bad and the homework load was light tonight. You're welcome.)**

**Until then! :)**


	18. Snowed In

**Hey guys! Here's chapter 18. Sorry it took a while. I wanted to have this posted like two days ago, but I got really busy and I couldn't quite figure out how to transfer the idea in my head to words. Sorry about that.**

**Anyway, I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter. I like the beginning, but I kinda hate the ending, but I had this idea and I needed to get it out, so sorry if it's bad. Also, there's kinda a second part to this chapter, which will be the next chapter, because itf I put it in here, chapter 18 would be ridiculously long. That should be up soon, like, before Monday.**

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns all rights to PJO and HoO.**

* * *

_*6 Months Later*_

It was Jason and Piper's wedding day. Well, wedding _night_, actually. We, for all intents and purposes, were obviously not with them. Or actually, they weren't with us.

The reception had ended around 9pm, and afterward, the plan had been for Thalia to come home with Annabeth and me, to spend the night and most of the following day, before meeting back up with the Hunters the following night.

As could be said for almost everything in our life, things didn't actually go as planned. Somehow, we'd ended up back at our apartment an hour later, not only with Thalia, but also with Rachael, Frank, Hazel, Leo, and Calypso. It had started snowing, as it so often did in New York in March, earlier in the night, and it was coming down pretty hard. The weather report had gone from "expecting light snow showers" to warning of a full blown blizzard with a winter weather advisory in less than an hour, and it had pretty much stopped everyone in their tracks.

Frank and Hazel's flight back to California had been cancelled.

Leo and Calypso's flight back to Texas had been cancelled.

Rachel didn't even want to _think_ about trying to drive on all those now snow-covered farm roads on the way back to camp.

The city had pretty much been put on lock down, and our apartment had become a last minute hotel. I didn't know how they all planned to spend the night comfortably in our rather small dwelling. I didn't _want_ to know. But the weather outside _was_ looking kind of bad, and neither Annabeth nor I'd had the heart to turn our friends away.

So that's how we all ended up in Annabeth and my living room at 10:30 at night; five well-dressed demigods, an Oracle of Delphi, and a minor-goddess-recently-turned-mortal, all crammed together on either the couch or the floor, talking and laughing together, like we'd done years ago as teenagers, though the only person that could actually pass as such anymore was Thalia.

No one was complaining. At least, they weren't right now. That would probably come later, like when it came time to figure out where and how everyone was going to sleep. _That_ would probably cause a bit of a commotion, one that our neighbors probably wouldn't appreciate, but we would figure it out. For most of us, sleeping on a carpeted floor, with blankets and pillows, would be nothing, considering some of the places we'd slept before. As for the non-demigods, well, they'd survive.

Of course, that problem didn't apply to me. _I'd_ be sleeping in my bed, next to my beautiful wife, like I did every night, and would leave everyone else to their own devices. After all, Thalia was technically the only one who had been invited. For everyone else, well, they could always be out in the snow…

"Heck of a night for a snow storm," Frank was saying, looking from his place on the floor to the snow falling outside the window.

Hazel nodded, and commented, "I hope Jason and Piper made it home alright."

"That's if they were _going_ home," Rachel added.

Leo laughed evilly, "_Man_," he declared, "Being stranded at an airport on your wedding night? That would _suck_!"

"I doubt they're stranded," Annabeth put in from beside me, "Jason is the son of the god of the skies. If all else fails, he can fly. I'm sure he and Piper will get to where they need to go."

"Still," Frank said, "a storm this bad on the day you get married. Is that a good omen or a bad one?"

"They'll be fine," Rachel said reassuringly. Everyone seemed to listen to her, which made sense, being as she was the Oracle and all. Either way, she effectively ended the conversation.

I looked at Thalia, who was very busy wiping the makeup off her face and trying to get her hair back to its normal messy style by combing her fingers through it from every angle possible. Judging from the look on her face, she wasn't very happy with having been made up for the wedding today, and the bridesmaid's dress she still wore probably wasn't helping.

She met my gaze with a rather unhappy expression. I raised an eyebrow at her. She glared back. "If I have to be in _one more wedding_…" she didn't bother to finish her threat. I couldn't help the smirk that was spreading across my face, and I noticed Annabeth wore one too.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that, Thals" Annabeth told her, "There aren't any more weddings _for_ you to be in." She had a point there. Thalia had been Annabeth's maid of honor for our wedding, and, being Jason's sister and all, had been a bridesmaid for his and Piper's. For anyone else who tied the knot, well, it would be up to her to attend or not, but she most likely wouldn't be _in_ any more weddings.

"Good," was all Thalia grudgingly had to say to that. I smiled wider.

Annabeth chuckled. "Why don't you just go change?"

Thalia paused, blinking. "I should go do that, shouldn't I?" she asked. Annabeth laughed again and nodded, like _Duh!_

The daughter of Zeus got up to leave, and everyone else apparently decided they'd also had enough of their nice clothes. I couldn't blame them. In all the chaos of the storm and the last minute slumber party, no one had gotten the chance to change yet, which I knew none of us were particularly happy about. We were demigods. We didn't _do_ black tie.

Twenty minutes later, everyone was back in their respective places in the living room, in comfortable clothes, and looking pretty happy about it. The only one who was missing was Calypso, who had been among the last waiting for the bathroom/makeshift changing room to open up.

"So, Leo," Rachel said, looking at the son of Hephaestus with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, similar to the one he usually wore himself, "You gonna give Calypso an engagement ring sometime soon, or what?" She kept her voice low enough for only those in the living room to hear.

Leo froze and stared, wide eyed, doing a pretty good job of resembling a deer in headlights. "Uh…"

"Yeah," I joined in, trying not to laugh. N_o way_ was I passing up on an opportunity to take advantage of one of the very few things that would actually embarrass Leo. Oh no, I'd suffered through _way_ too many jokes of his over the years. No mercy would be shown here. "What're you waiting for, a written invitation?"

Leo was getting redder by the second, and I knew I wasn't the only one enjoying it. His eyes darted everywhere, as he avoided making eye contact with anyone. His obvious silent pleas for Calypso to walk back into the room were practically audible.

My amusement was short-lived though, because he suddenly focused on me again, looking slightly impish, although he was still red enough to pass as part-tomato. "Well what about _you_?" he demanded.

I raised an eyebrow, looking at him intently. "I am already married," I pointed out slowly, as if that wasn't obvious common knowledge. Leo's grin only widened, which was more than a bit unsettling. Everyone's eyes were on us, darting back and forth like a tennis match, as they watched our debate.

"Exactly," he said, "it's been, what, two years now?"

I didn't like where this was going. I didn't exactly _know_ where this was going, but knowing Leo Valdez, I wouldn't like it. "A year and a half," I told him slowly, cautiously, and eyeing him warily.

"Whatever. Close enough. The point is, what are you guys waiting for? You gonna have a kid soon, or what?'"

Oh gods. He'd had to go there…

I guess I really shouldn't have been surprised. We'd never actually told them about the baby we'd lost. It had been too fresh the last time we'd seen them. It hadn't come up, and that had been more than okay. Other than our parents, Piper and Jason were the only ones who knew, being as Piper was Annabeth's best friend, and Jason, now her husband ( her fiancé at the time) was also a close friend of ours.

I didn't say anything. I glanced at Annabeth, who glanced at me, before her eyes fell to the floor, studying the carpet beneath her.

Leo wasn't smiling anymore. In fact, he looked rather concerned. The mood change had clearly been felt by everyone. At some point, Calypso must have come back, because she sat next to Leo again, looking at us worriedly, along with everyone else. "What?" Leo demanded anxiously, looking back and forth between the two of us with wide eyes, "What'd I miss? Was it something I said?"

Rachel just looked at the two of us with a sad sympathy, and I knew she had figured it out. That or she'd known all along, which, I guess was possible.

Leo was still freaking out, "What'd I do-"

"It's not you, Leo," Annabeth interrupted quietly, taking her eyes off the floor to glance at him quickly, before focusing her gaze on me, with an expression that clearly said, _Help me!_

I knew she didn't want to tell them, _couldn't_ tell them. Things had been pretty much back to normal for a while now, but the miscarriage was still a topic that we mostly avoided in every way possible. We'd come to terms with it, accepted the fact that there was nothing we could do about it, that this was our life and very rarely were things easy, and that it was just another thing we'd had to get through together. That didn't mean we liked to talk about it.

But these were our friends, our family really. We'd been through so much together, and it had been wrong of us not to have told them. They deserved to know. They, of all people, understood loss and pain. We all did. We'd suffered together through thick and thin. They were our brothers and sisters, and hiding it from them just wasn't worth it.

"Why don't you go get the sleeping bags and extra blankets? I'm sure we'll need them tonight, and I have no clue where they are," I told her somewhat quietly, though still loud enough for everyone to hear.

That last part wasn't necessarily true. They were in the closet in the hallway, on the top shelf, but Annabeth, though she knew that, wasn't about to argue. She nodded, looking grateful, and left.

"Percy, what's going on?" Hazel asked after Annabeth was gone. The others in the room had watched our exchange silently, looking confused and worried.

I took a deep breath and looked around at everyone. They were all looking at me, waiting for an answer. "Annabeth was pregnant," I explained quietly.

"Wait, _was_?" Frank asked quickly.

I nodded, staring out the window at the heavily falling snow. "We lost it," I told them in an emotionless voice-something I'd learned to use very well since coming back from Tartarus.

There were a few quiet gasps, and then silence.

"When?" Hazel managed to croak, covering her mouth with her hands, looking shocked.

"A few months ago."

"Gods, I'm an _idiot_," Leo mumbled, face in his hands, and then looked up at me. "I'm sorry, man."

"It's okay," I replied, "We should have told you sooner."

Thalia had a faraway look in her eyes, and seemed to be torn between being disgusted or sympathetic. "Is Annabeth alright?" she asked finally, finally resorting to just looking concerned.

I nodded. "Yeah. Things were pretty bad for a while, but they're better now. She's better."

Everyone was quiet. They all had different reactions, but they all shared one very evident emotion: sorrow. They alternated between looking at me sympathetically and staring down at the floor. Rachel still wore a mournful expression; Calypso looked sad and a bit uncomfortable; Hazel had tears in her brown eyes as she stared at me, sending every ounce of her love and sisterly support with her gaze; Frank looked down sadly; and Leo was somewhere in the middle of all of those, looking shameful and apologetic on top of it all.

And shocked; everyone looked shocked.

I just sat there, staring at my hands folded in my lap. I hated that they'd had to find out this way. It had been stupid of us to have kept it from them for this long. They were bound to find out eventually, and now they had, and in what was probably the worst way possible. We'd been having a great time too, talking and laughing, smiling the whole time. That was gone now. Nobody was anywhere close to smiling anymore.

After what could have been a few seconds or an hour, Frank spoke up again, thankfully changing the subject. Our living room's occupants seemed more than happy to join in with the new topic of conversation, and the mood seemed to lift again slightly, but it never quite got back to where it had been just minutes earlier.

Annabeth walked back into the room with her arms full of blankets and pillows. She left them in a pile on the floor beside the couch and took her place once more beside me. The discussion faltered momentarily for a second, before picking back up again, while everyone quickly looked at her with pity in their eyes. I put my arm around her waist, tightening my grip comfortingly.

The conversation lasted for a few more minutes, lifting everyone's spirits a bit more. Soon though, Rachel stood up. "Well guys," she said, "It's pretty late. I think we should probably call it a night. What do you think?" Despite the fact that she was probably just saying that to get everyone's minds off of the obvious matter at hand, she _was_ right. It was after midnight, and it had been a long day. Everyone quickly agreed.

Fortunately, the process of getting everyone situated for the night turned out easier than I'd anticipated, and only slightly less chaotic. After much deliberation, and some slightly not-so-nice words from a demigod or two, Thalia ended up taking the guest room; Rachel got an air mattress on the floor of the office; Hazel and Calypso took the couches; and Frank and Leo slept in sleeping bags on the floor. I wouldn't necessarily have called the process simple or smooth, but at least no weapons were drawn, which I was more grateful for than words could describe. If that had happened, I was certain that our neighbors would not only hate us for the rest of their lives and probably call the cops on us, but I'd also have to pay for all new furniture when it was all over. To put it simply, I was grateful.

As everyone made their ways to their respective beds a few minutes later, Annabeth and I received more than one hug, and a lot of sympathetic words and apologies. I hated all of it. Heck, I'd hated all of that back when the miscarriage had first happened. Now, I absolutely despised it. It had been six months. We'd found closure and had finally moved on, and having to hear it all again was like moving backwards. We were past the constant mourning and questioning, and the only thing worse than living through it once, was being reminded of it all over again. I knew our friends were only trying to help, to show their concern and support, but frankly, I almost wished they would just forget I'd said anything.

Finally, everyone was in bed and settled for the night. I laid down in bed myself and held Annabeth in my arms. I didn't know what to say, but I knew she was probably feeling the same way I was right then, just wishing it would all just be over already. We were ready to move on with our lives, and face whatever came next, good or bad. Something could only be mourned over for so long, before it became monotonous, no matter how horrible that something, or often _someone_, was. It was all still there, the loss and the hurt, but we'd learned to live with it. It had been a pretty huge hurtle in our way, and it had taken a really long time, but we were finally managing to get past it.

"I love you," I whispered to her, because those were the only words I could think to say, and mostly because they were the only words that didn't require thinking.

"I love you too," Annabeth replied quietly.

The night hadn't turned out the way I'd intended it to, not that that really should have been any surprise, but I couldn't really bring myself to see it as having been bad either. Aside from the bearing of the bad news, we'd all had a lot of fun tonight. We were a family, whether we liked it or not, and we got through things together. Everything that had happened had needed to happen, good or bad.

Annabeth and I fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

The snow kept falling, but for the first time in a long time, the tears didn't.

* * *

**There you have it. I know, it's not my best work, but it works I guess. I have a good idea for next chapter, which is already started. Like I said before, it will most likely be a continuation of this chapter. Most likely, but things may change between now and then. We'll see.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you liked it. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts. :)**


	19. A Real Family

**Hey guys! LiveLaughLove728 here, with another update for you! :D**

**First off, I've been thinking of changing the rating of this story to T. I'm not planning on writing anything differently than I am now, but I'm worried that some of the subject matter (like the miscarriage) is slightly advanced for a K+ rating. What are your thoughts?**

**So anyway, like I said in the author's note for chapter 18, this chapter is kind of a continuation of that, but it's also kinda separate. I know, makes perfect sense. I got a lot of different requests to have sort of a confrontation between Percy/Annabeth and the god(s). This is sort of that, but it's probably not what you're thinking. I have a feeling you'll like it though! :)**

**One last thing real quick: The last few lines of this chapter are slightly suggestive, and I mean VERY slightly. Nothing descriptive or anything, it's pretty much just a reference, but that kind of thing is touchy, so I figured you all deserved to know. And, just for future reference, I will NEVER write about stuff like that. NEVER. I promise you that. However, this is a story about marriage and family, and therefore involves some stuff that my other stories do not, I just won't write about it. Open minds, people! But seriously, it's not that bad, like, at all. I'm just seriously paranoid.**

**Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns Percy and Annabeth. I do not...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

I woke up a couple of hours later to an empty bed beside me. I rolled over and sat up, blinking the sleep out of my eyes and looking around the dark room for Annabeth. I found her a second later, staring out the window at the snow-covered city below. It was still coming down, though it had lightened up a bit, and had already coated everything below in a white blanket a few inches thick.

I approached and wrapped my arms around her from behind. "You okay?" I murmured. She nodded, leaning into me. We stood there for a minute or so, not saying anything, just enjoying the contact of each other.

"Do you think it was just a one-time thing?" Annabeth asked quietly.

"What was?" I asked.

"The miscarriage. Do you think Hera is satisfied yet?"

I didn't respond right away. To be honest, I had no clue, but I knew Annabeth probably wasn't looking for an actual answer. After all, Hera was a goddess, and one of the most unpredictable ones at that. How is someone supposed to know if she is satisfied with the punishments she's inflicted upon you yet? But then again, Hera was probably up against two formidable enemies in Poseidon and Athena right about now, so it was possible she _had_ given in…

"Are you saying you want to try again?" I asked her after a few seconds.

"I'm saying I don't want to go through that again," she answered distantly, "But yeah."

I slightly tightened my grip around her. "Are you sure?"

She sighed. "No, but I'm tired of hiding from the gods. I'm tired of them controlling my life and telling me what I can and can't do, and Percy, so help me, if I want to start a family and start it with you, I'm going to do it. The gods have put us through way too much as it is, and I am so done with all of it. If I have to march up to Olympus and make demands myself, I will."

I hugged her close to me and kissed her hair to hide the small smile that was slowly forming on my face. Yup, that was my Annabeth. She wasright though, as always. I'd felt the same way at times. I felt that way right now. "I know," I told her quietly. When she didn't reply, I added, "Maybe we can make a trip to Olympus."

She turned around to look at me. "I will _not_ beg, Percy. Especially not to Hera."

"Who said anything about _begging_?" She looked at me for a second longer, a smile slowly spreading across her face, before she sighed and looked away again.

"I don't know, Percy…"

I pulled her close again. "We'll figure it out," I promised, "We've got time."

"I wouldn't make any plans just yet if I were you," a new, vaguely familiar voice said. My first thought: _Monster._ There were more than enough demigods here to attract one. I whirled around, attempting to pull Riptide from my pocket, before I remembered that I was wearing pajama pants and I didn't have pockets. My pen-sword sat on the bedside table, across the room. I realized all of this in the second it took me to turn around to face the intruder.

Hera stood before us, in the center of the bedroom, looking tall and regal as always, even at three in the morning, with her long, chocolate brown hair braided over one shoulder in plaits with gold ribbon. Her white dress shimmered with colors when she moved, even in the darkness of our bedroom, and her eyes shone with power. Overall, she was far from the scariest immortal I'd ever laid eyes on (that wonderful title definitely belonged to Tartaurs himself) and wasn't very high on my list of people I wanted to see any time soon, especially standing in my bedroom at 3am in my pajamas, but the Queen of Heaven had never really cared very much for what I wanted.

"Hera," I greeted her evenly, trying to keep my voice from sounding cold. Annabeth regarded her similarly, though the resentment was much more obvious in her tone.

I queen of the gods sighed dramatically. "I suppose it would be too much to ask that you refer to me as _Queen_ Hera. Or even _Lady_ Hera."

Neither Annabeth nor I said anything in response, as we stood before her. I resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow. Hmm, let's see. Hera had cursed Annabeth with defecating cows when she was fourteen, and had just generally gotten on both of our bad sides. She'd tried to kill Annabeth when she was sixteen. Then, she'd decided to pluck me out of my newfound peaceful life without so much as a heads up, put me to sleep for six months, took my memory, led me to an enemy (sort of) camp, made me carry her across a river for no reason, made me go on a quest to rescue her royal highness, made us travel across the world to fight yet another war and almost die, all the while, offering next to no help whatsoever. And at the end of it all, we'd barely even gotten a 'thank you.'

Now, she'd killed our baby…

And she wanted us to address her coolly and respectfully, as if she'd never done anything to deserve otherwise in all her immortal years? Yeah, _no._

When we didn't say anything, Hera sighed again. "Of course not," she muttered. We continued looking at her. I could practically feel the anger radiating from Annabeth. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, which caused her to relax a little, though she was still pretty miffed, and as far as I was concerned, she had every right to be.

"Why are you here?" Annabeth asked stiffly.

Hera leveled her eyes at her. "Watch yourself, demigod. Just because you saved the world, doesn't mean I can't still obliterate you." Annabeth held the goddess' steely gaze with her own. After a second of angry silence, Hera continued, her tone slightly mellower, "It would seem that the gods feel you deserve some leniency on my part." She spoke slowly, and said each word like it hurt her. "Many of them, particularly Athena and Poseidon, feel I have been rash in my anger toward the two of you, that it was undeserving and uncalled for." She paused momentarily, as if she couldn't believe she was saying this. "I, after much deliberation, have come to agree with them some. It seems the hostility I have shown toward you over the years has been slightly unnecessary. I have… come to apologize."

I blinked, staring at the queen of the gods in shock. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Hera was _apologizing_? I mean, gods had apologized to me before: Hermes, Poseidon, a few others, but out of all the Olympians, I'd never expected _Hera_ to. Heck, she'd been lower down on that list than even _Dionysus_. And yet, here she was, and I wasn't sure how to react.

Hera continued, "I have shown unnecessary spite toward the both of you," she turned to Annabeth, "particularly toward you, and I realize now that I may have been out of line in my actions, predominantly those of recent. Although I cannot, and will not, take full responsibility for my actions leading up to and during the Giant War; I admit that the majority of the blame for the loss of your pregnancy falls solely on me. The growing life had been viable, I had been the cause of it having become otherwise, and I am sorry."

Annabeth was trembling slightly beside me, though I wasn't sure if it was out of rage or suppressed emotion. Maybe both.

I wasn't much better.

After a slight pause, maybe for dramatic flair, Hera continued her spiel. "The two of you are married, have been for some time, and you have been through much. It had never been my intention to ever allow the two of you happiness and a family of your own, but your parents have convinced me, rather forcefully, otherwise, so you have them to thank. The both of you have proven yourselves to be worthy many times, and I have been foolish to overlook the obvious for so long. I will not interfere with your mortal pursuits any longer. I cannot accomplish the impossible in bringing your unborn child back, that string has long been cut, but I will not hinder another in the future, should you choose to try again for a family."

I stood with my mouth agape. Never in a million years would I ever have thought I'd hear such words from any of the Olympians, probably not even from my dad, and _definitely_ not from Hera. I was grateful beyond words though, something I rarely felt toward the gods.

"Thank you-"I began.

"But," Hera interrupted harshly, "_if_ I am disrespected once more from _either _of you, I trust you know that I can, and _will_, make things _much _worse than anything you've ever fathomed before, and I promise you that it _will not_ be pleasant, for _anyone._"

"Thank you, Queen Hera," I told her gratefully, and Annabeth and I both bowed our heads respectfully. The resulting smile on the queen of the gods' face almost looked friendly, before she took on her true form, for which, Annabeth and I knew to look away, and was gone.

The two of us stood there, shocked, staring at the place where the goddess had just stood. I was the first one to speak, but I couldn't even formulate a complete sentence, "I, we, she… we… _what just happened?_"

Annabeth breathed out heavily, somewhere between a sigh and a laugh. She turned to me, and I could see the tears she was trying to hold back. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled herself close, resting her head against my chest. I held her to me. "Did that really just happen?" she whispered.

"I think so," I told her, laughing out of pure joy, and relief, and about fifty other emotions all at once. She joined in a second later. We stood there, laughing and holding each other, probably looking like completely exhausted idiots, which probably wouldn't really have been that far off of a conclusion, but at the moment, we simply didn't care. Although, it was really good that everyone else in the apartment was in bed, and were hopefully asleep, because they definitely would have thought we were completely nuts if they weren't.

The relief I felt was almost overwhelming. Not only had Hera pretty much guaranteed us that if Annabeth were to get pregnant again, it wouldn't result in miscarriage, which meant we could try again, we could still have a baby, a family; but it meant that I would never have to see Annabeth that miserable again, not from losing a pregnancy, at least. We would never again have to mourn the loss of someone we'd never even gotten the chance to meet, not in that way. Things still could, and probably still would go wrong, other complications were still a possibility, but at least there was one thing we wouldn't have to worry so much about anymore. I was certain that I had never been that grateful to any immortal before, and probably wouldn't be again.

"We owe our parents big-time," I murmured.

Annabeth nodded, still leaning into me. "Percy, we really need to stop angering the gods so much."

I chuckled once and hugged her tighter. "Is that even possible? I'm pretty sure they hate us."

She smiled in the dim light, and was quiet for a second. I loosened my grip on her and kissed her, putting all my emotion into it. "We can have a baby, Percy," Annabeth murmured in a faraway voice after we pulled apart, "A real family."

"Mmmm," I murmured into her hair, "We can get started right now, if you'd like." Annabeth pulled away and smacked me playfully, but she was laughing and smiling beautifully nonetheless.

"Not tonight," she told me, "I'm tired. Plus, there are other people in our apartment." She did have a valid point there.

I leaned in and kissed her one more time, a real, genuine, "I am so totally in love with you" kiss. "I love you," I murmured.

"I know. I love you too." I pecked her quickly one last time, and the two of us went to bed for the second time that night, or well actually, that _morning_, and we were much happier the second time around.

* * *

**What did you think? I'm trying to move past the curve-ball I threw into this story, so hopefully this chapter will help speed things along a bit. **

**For those of you who wanted some happiness soon, there you go! For those of you who wanted a plot twist and some more realistic stuff, well, they are still demigods after all. Life is never perfect. Stay tuned! *Cue evil laughter***

**Hey! Before you go, would you be so kind as to leave me a review and let me know what you thought? It would mean a lot. I read all of them, I promise. Feel free to ask questions or whatever. I'll respond! :) Thanks a lot for reading!**

**Til next time!**


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